Romancing the Soul: An Intimate Evening of Johannes Brahms

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Over
the centuries, the composer Johannes Brahms has been viewed as everything from
“a great friend” with “a fine gifted nature and noble heart” (Clara Schumann)
to a “giftless scoundrel” (Tchaikovsky). But Dr. John Sutton, Artistic Director
of the Angeles Chorale – which will present “Romancing the Soul: An Intimate Evening of Johannes Brahms” on
Saturday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Pasadena’s First United Methodist Church,
and on Sunday, March 30 at 4 p.m. at
Northridge United Methodist Church  – may well be the first to describe the composer as “a guy
who looked like he lived in a man cave.”

Of
course, there is an addendum to that description. “Brahms smoked cigars, loved
to drink beer, and had a big beard that was, let’s just say, biblical in
proportions,” says Sutton. “But he wrote music that is so powerful, so personal,
and so passionate that it takes your breath away. These are works that stir
things up inside you. I can almost guarantee you’ll get goose bumps.”

The
Angeles Chorale’s ‘goose bump-inducing’ exploration of Brahm’s choral works
will include Neue Lebesleider Waltzes
(New Love Songs)  - Op. 65, plus
a work hailed by Sutton as “monumental” – Warum
ist das Licht gegben dem Muhseligen - Op. 74, No. 1.

Also
on the program are: Waldesnacht - Op. 62,
No. 3; Der Gang Zum Liebchen - Op.
31, No. 3; Abendlied - Op. 92, No. 3;
Neckereien - Op. 31, No. 2; In Stiller Nacht – Op. 34, No. 8; O Schone Nacht - Op. 92, No. 1 and Nachtwache - Op. 104, No. 2.

“It’s
an amazing evening of music from the heart and soul,” Sutton explains. “Brahms
didn’t like how he expressed himself through words. He hated to write. Rather
than write a letter, Brahms would often send friends and colleagues a postcard
so he could get away with writing as little as possible.”

Writing
music was a different matter entirely. As Brahms once wrote to his great friend
Clara Schumann, ‘I wish I could just write music to you.’ 

Obviously
Brahms couldn’t do this. But he did wind up writing music for generations to
come, revealing much about himself in the process. His passion for nature, his
delight in folk music, his deep yearning to love and be loved –all are given
voice.

His
collections of love songs are a case in point. They have stood the test of time because audiences
can sense that they are, in Sutton’s words, “from the heart.” And since Brahms
selected poetry from a wide variety of places – from Turkey, Latvia, and
Persia, to name but a few – they speak to every heart, presenting not just a
Northern Germanic point of view but a worldview of love.

Yet “Romancing
the Soul” is much more than a celebration of romance. It is also an exploration
of the Romantic period of music, an era that began roughly around the time of
Brahms’ birth in1833 and concluded not long after his death in 1897.

Indeed,
since Brahms is so closely associated with the Romantic period, Angeles Chorale
has made a point of providing the audience with a number of opportunities to ‘meet’ the composer, up close and
personal.

“I don’t
want to give too much away but we will listen in as Brahms speaks, in his own
words, to a woman he loved his whole life long,” says Sutton. “We’ll hear him
in his young 20s when he first meets her and is captivated by her, and we’ll
hear from middle aged Brahms when he’s really not sure what the relationship is.
Towards the end of the program, we will hear from Brahms when he is older, when
he realizes that, while this relationship has perhaps not been all he had hoped
for, it’s been the most loving relationship of his life. The cornerstone of it.”

Chorale
insiders often refer to such unexpected – but immensely powerful – moments as
“experiences” the audience can “take away” long after the last note of the
evening is sung. But these “experiences” are not necessarily limited to
audience members.

“The
Chorale is loving it as we prepare,” Sutton confides. “The music is so
beautiful we can hardly wait to enter this world of Brahms. But for that to
happen we have found that we must first access our own hearts, which turns out
to be such an amazing gift. Thanks to Brahms, we have become much more aware of
the people, places, and things we are drawn to and love. We can’t wait to share
this gift with our audience.”

Tickets for “Romancing
the Soul: An intimate evening of Johannes Brahms” are available for $25/person
and $20/student with valid id at the door. To purchase tickets or learn more
about the Angeles Chorale, visit www.angeleschorale.org or call 818.591.1735. First United
Methodist Church is located at 500 East Colorado Blvd in Pasadena, 91101. Northridge
United Methodist Church is located at 9650 Reseda Blvd in Northridge, 91324.