My complex relationship with Johannes Brahms goes all the way back to my childhood, and now, after half a century of memories, we come full circle.
‘Behold, all flesh is as the grass…’
My first serious encounter with Brahms remains a sublime mix of elation and trauma. In 1976 I was one small chorister in a huge performance of Brahms’ German Requiem organized and conducted by my father. Fortunately, for 14-year-old me, the German Requiem was sung in English translation, so those Biblical passages come back to me, even now. That project took months of rehearsals led by my Dad and several other conductors that gathered regional choirs from across rural Ontario. When the weekend of the concerts finally arrived, 350 singers of Mennonite Mass Choir shimmied onto bleachers in Elmira high school gym for three performances. But at the last moment my Dad had to withdraw from the concerts due to serious illness, and conductor Bill Janzen took his place. As the orchestra began those ominous, pulsing opening notes, I looked down at the conductor, who was not my Dad, and was convinced I was singing a Requiem for my own father.
‘as one who his own mother comforteth…’
Well, that was not what happened. My Dad lived many happy decades beyond that event. But his medical condition did force him to stop conducting. He spent his remaining years dairy farming, then peacefully retired with my ever-supportive Mum by his side, traveling, studying German, and enjoying active membership at Waterloo North Mennonite Church.
‘and that their works follow after them…’
Fast forward 24 years. In 2000 it was my turn to conduct Brahms’ Requiem, with my Toronto choir Pax Christi Chorale teaming up with Peter Nikiforuk’s KW choir, Menno Singers, and the full cohort of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Since I recognized the challenges of conducting this awesome work and wanted to do it justice, I was grateful for coaching sessions with my former professor Howard Dyck. This time we sang in German, with performances at MacMillan Theatre in Toronto, and then at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Kitchener.
‘Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herren sterben…’
And now to this present time. I have since put down the conductor’s baton and turned to creating my own music. My new composition ‘ECHO’ will stand beside Brahms’ great work this November. Early in 2025 Jean-Sébastien Vallée asked me to compose a companion piece to the German Requiem and my dear friend Norm Martin stepped in to provide the commission. I chose to set a beautiful English text by 19th-century poet Christina Rossetti entitled ECHO, a timeless, moving testament to the power of dreams and memory in the face of loss and grief. I couldn’t write this piece without some sort of homage to my old friend Johannes Brahms in honour of our 50-year relationship. I borrowed the opening two chords of the sixth movement of his Requiem to introduce my new 10-minute piece before branching out into my own 21st -century musical language.
‘The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised…’
Jean-Sébastien Vallée will conduct the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir in 2 Toronto-area performances, with soloists Russell Braun, Charlotte Siegel, and members of the KW Symphony orchestra. All the details are here for you – just click:
P.S. Thanks to Betti Burkholder Erb for her 2004 book Menno Singers: Celebrating 50 years of song for filling in the historical facts I had forgotten.
Lovely words explaining your continuing relationship with this work, Stephanie. Can’t make this performance but hope to see you some time.
Thanks Stephanie. All the best!
What a splendid retrospective, Stephanie. I remember that Brahms Requiem performance in Elmira. We were there, and I recall everyone being concerned about your dad. My goodness, you were a teenager!
The Brahms Requiem is one of the landmark works for choir and orchestra. Tempo is critical. In the 2nd movement, the triplets must be audible, especially in the timpani. Most of the work is directed at those of us in the here and now. It’s only in the final movement that the choir addresses the departed… Selig Sind die Toten. What a torrent of passion and pain and craft and tradition is unleashed in that work! I can’t wait to hear it again and to experience your “Echo” juxtaposed alongside it.
I’m so glad I will see you at the performance Howard, since I know the Brahms is an important work for you. You’ll meet my new work as well, and hopefully it will make a suitable companion!
I remember the collaboration with Menno Singers for the Brahms in 2000. One of the many highlights of our 20 year relationship with you as AD of Pax Christi Chorale! So sorry to be unable to attend this concert and the. premiere of your piece ECHO. Best!
We’ll miss you at the show, but thanks for all those memories at Pax Christi! Hopefully we’ll capture a nice recording of ECHO and try to get the permissions required to share it widely.
The performance extract sounds very exciting – in spite of the conductor looking as if he is conducting a less exciting work! The one regret of my years of amateur choral singing is that we never did this remarkable work by Brahms. It is good to learn that it is inspiring new music over 150 years on.