Soloists for the Piedmont College Chorale performance of Mozart's 'Requiem' will include bass William Borland, left, and soprano Barbara Steinhaus-Jordan, right, as well as alto Donna James and tenor Bradley Howard.

Piedmont Chorale to present works of
Mozart and Rheinberger April 7-8

The Piedmont College "Great Composers Series" will mark its 16th year with two performances of Mozart's "Requiem" and Josef Rheinberger's "Organ Concerto No. 2."

The performances will be held at 7:30 p.m., April 7-8, at the college's Center for Worship and Music in Demorest. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Piedmont students, faculty, and staff are admitted free.

As Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart approached death more than 200 years ago, he wrote one of his most moving choral works, the "Requiem Mass in D Minor." Not only was it his last composition, but also one of his most beautiful and mysterious. Commissioned anonymously, "Requiem" was only partially finished at the time of Mozart's death. Still the work "ranks as one of the most important choral masterpieces of the last 500 years," says Dr. Wallace Hinson, who will direct the 100-voice Piedmont College Chorale and orchestra.

"In the Requiem, one can hear Mozart's transcendent belief in the 'life of the world to come' and the grief of loss mixed with the consolation for those left behind," Hinson said. "We can learn a great deal about Mozart's life by hearing how he musically treats death, the Last Judgment, mercy, and grace. What a great opportunity for us to bring this work to life in celebration of Mozart’s birth 250 years ago."
 
Like Mozart, Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901) was a child musical prodigy, and he was serving as a church organist at age seven. From the age of 14 to 20 he wrote 124 works, including three operas and three symphonies. Rheinberger's "Concerto No. 2" will be performed by Dr. James Mellichamp, vice president for academic affairs at Piedmont, on the Sewell Organ.

"Unlike Mozart, Rheinberger was honored during his life," Mellichamp said. "He represents an important personality when one considers organ music in 19th century Germany. He falls about midway between Mendelssohn and Reger, the best-known composers from that time period. I think his music is much more closely related to Mendelssohn and earlier composers of the classic period. One finds the same balanced forms, lyrical melodies, and rather restrained harmonic idioms in Rheinberger's music."

For "Requiem" the Piedmont Chorale, which is composed of singers from the college and across northeast Georgia, will be accompanied by Piedmont music professor Joy Hayner on the organ and by a 40-member professional orchestra. Soloists include soprano Dr. Barbara Steinhaus-Jordan, alto Donna James, tenor Bradley Howard, and bass William Borland.

Steinhaus-Jordan is a professor of music at Piedmont and sang in previous Great Composers concerts including "Carmina Burana," Haydn's "The Creation," and last year's "Ninth Symphony" by Beethoven. James is director of music at First Presbyterian Church in Clarkesville and directs the Sautee Nacoochee Community Chorale. She recently earned a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in music education at Piedmont. Howard is a Gainesville native and a private voice instructor in Atlanta and New York. He has performed with the Atlanta Symphony and the Atlanta Opera Orchestra. Borland is a staff soloist with Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta and has performed in "Carmina Burana" and Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony" at Piedmont. He has been featured soloist with the Robert Shaw Chamber Singers, the Atlanta Bach Choir, and the Georgian Chamber Players.

"I am pleased to be working with a fantastic group of dedicated singers and musicians who have the same love for Mozart and this piece that I have," said Hinson, who is now in his 13th year as director of ensembles at Piedmont. "They understand that performing this work with orchestra can have a profound effect on the performer and the listener."

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