Requiem Concert to Benefit Haiti
The Walpole Community Chorus, formed by the Walpole Congregational Church Choir with an additional 17 singers from the area, will perform John Rutter's "Requiem", a well known and loved choral work in seven movements Good Friday evening, April 2, at a public concert at 7:30 p.m. under the direction of Gladys Johnsen.
Dr. Johnsen is retired Professor Emeritus of Music from Keene State College where she was the founder and conductor of the Youth Chorus for ten years. She will be conducting the chorus and an instrumental ensemble of harp, cello, oboe, organ, flute, timpani, and bells. During the performance there will be a visual presentation of the text translations and artwork depicting the themes and moods of the lyrics and music.
John Rutter's Requiem was written and first performed in 1985. Following the precedent established by Brahms and Faure, it is not strictly a setting of the Requiem Mass as laid down in Catholic liturgy but instead is made up of a personal selection of texts, some from the Mass and some from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, in both Latin and English.
The concert will take place at the First Congregational Church of Walpole on the common. The building is wheelchair accessible. In lieu of an admission charge, donations will be collected to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. For further information call 603-756-9221.