BRATTLEBORO — Area singers are invited to join the Brattleboro Concert Choir this September as BMC begins a special season celebrating 25 years under the direction of Susan Dedell.
The year begins with Verdi's extravagant Requiem, scheduled to be performed with soloists and full orchestra at the Latchis Theater on Jan. 10 and 11, 2015.
This work, perhaps more than any other choral composition, allows the chorus to explore the full range of vocal expression – from whispering sotto voce passages to triple forte, full-throated passion. The orchestral writing is likewise dramatic, and Dedell says she's assembling some of her favorite players and soloists to join in the adventure.
This is the second time in 25 years that the Verdi Requiem has been scheduled under Dedell's direction. The first such performance was a spring 2000 collaboration with the Brattleboro Union High School chorus.
For that event, a special stage was constructed at Persons Auditorium in Marlboro to accommodate more than 200 singers. A similar stage extension is planned to comfortably contain a full orchestra and chorus at the Latchis.
“The Latchis is a great venue for this highly dramatic piece, which was considered to be overly passionate for a piece of sacred music by many in its time,” Dedell says.
But Verdi's Requiem speaks more to the human condition than it does to a heavenly one, she adds:
“The Requiem's drama is the drama of life, with all its strivings, tragedies, and triumphs. I am so eager to begin work on it again with the accumulated learning and perspective of all that has happened in the last 15 years.”
The chorus will conclude its year with Handel's personal favorite, the oratorio Samson. Those who love the Messiah will absolutely adore this piece: full of Handel's great choruses and arias and with a rip-roaring tale to tell.
Also planned for the 25th year celebration are three community sings. Dedell says she wants everyone to have the chance to sing with her on a couple of what she describes as the world's most beloved choral pieces.
In November, she explains, the chorus will undertake the Mozart Requiem; later in the winter it'll perform the Brahms Requiem. Toward the spring audiences can look forward to a fun evening of jazz standards, musicals, and operetta.
These sings will be open to all, no charge.