Danielle Talamantes

Described as a “lullaby” for death, the Fauré Requiem is one of the most well-known, beloved and sublime choral masterworks in the sacred classical canon. The Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, a lovely companion piece to seduce your heart and stir your soul, brings the words of Shakespeare to life through music.

Featuring works by Granados, Ellington and Dehlinger.

The City Choir of Washington and Maestro Shafer transport you to France, with a program of works in the great tradition of French choral music, including Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine, the Poulenc Gloria and the Duruflé Quatre Motets sur des thèmes grégoriens. This concert will take place in the intimate setting of Saint Luke Catholic Church in McLean, VA, as part of the Music in McLean series.

Often described as "an Opera Disguised as a Masterpiece for Choir and Orchestra," The Messa da Requiem is a musical setting of the Catholic funeral mass (Requiem) for four soloists, double choir and orchestra by Giuseppe Verdi. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist whom Verdi admired.

Written in the emotional turmoil following the death of his mother and his friend Robert Schumann, the Requiem is a gloriously passionate work considered by many to be Brahms' crowning achievement. In it, he struggles with the fleeting fragility of life, the redemptive power of faith, and the ultimate triumph of the human soul over death itself.