RI Philharmonic Orchestra to Present 'Spano Conducts Brahms’ Requiem'

The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra will present Spano Conducts Brahms’ Requiem with conductor Robert Spano, soprano Jessica Rivera, baritone Will Liverman and the Providence Singers (Christine Noel, Artistic Director) for an upcoming performance at The VETS in Providence: Saturday, May 10 at 7:30pm as part of the TACO Classical Series.

The concert features Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Brahms’ A German Requiem. In addition to the concert on May 10, there will also be an Open Rehearsal on Friday, May 9 at 5:30pm at The VETS. Subscriptions and single tickets are available now at tickets.riphil.org.

The RI Phil’s Principal Conductor, Robert Spano, will be at the helm for an evening of music from the 1800s and 1900s. Known worldwide for the intensity of his artistry and distinctive communicative abilities, Spano creates a sense of inclusion and warmth among musicians and audiences that is unique among American orchestras. Spano has been Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra since August 2022 and will continue there through the 2027-2028 season; this follows his tenure as Principal Guest Conductor with FWSO, which began in 2019. He is the tenth Music Director in the orchestra’s history, which was founded in 1912. In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Spano explains: “I’ve lived my life in music feeling like the works of living composers inform our understanding of the works of the past. They keep reinvigorating our understanding of these masterpieces.”

Possessing a voice praised by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for its “ravishing fullness,” GRAMMY® Award-winning soprano Jessica Rivera “has established herself as a singer of uncommon vocal luster and musical intelligence” (San Francisco Classical Review). The dimension and spirituality with which she infuses her performances on international concert and opera stages has garnered Ms. Rivera unique artistic collaborations with many of today’s most celebrated composers, including John Adams, Osvaldo Golijov, Gabriela Lena Frank, Jonathan Leshnoff, Nico Muhly, and Paola Prestini, and has brought her together with such esteemed conductors as Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, James Conlon, Robert Spano, Markus Stenz, Bernard Haitink, Teddy Abrams, and Michael Tilson Thomas.                                                            

Called “a voice for this historic moment” (Washington Post), GRAMMY Award-winning baritone Will Liverman is the recipient of the 2022 Beverly Sills Artist Award by The Metropolitan Opera and the co-creator of The Factotum–called “mic-drop fabulous good” (Opera News)–which premiered at the Lyric Opera Chicago in 2023. Described as “a gifted chameleon of a singing actor who disappears into his roles” (Opera) with a “beaming, high baritone that easily asserts”(LA Times), Liverman has been hailed by critics for his versatility in dramatic and comedic roles, as well as on concert stages in North America and internationally, and his dedication and vision as a composer, artist, and advisor helping to evolve and push the performing arts industry forward.

The evening commences with the Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Completed in 1910, and revised in 1919, Vaughan Williams borrowed a theme from his great 16th-century English forebear, Thomas Tallis, and extended it into an elaborate, richly textured fantasia for double string orchestra and a solo string quartet, fashioning a mesmerizing new work of shimmering beauty out of his predecessor’s Third Psalter Tune. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis stands out for its rich, luminous sound created by a multi-voiced string ensemble, its smoothly intertwined melodies, and the delicate modal harmonies through which Vaughan Williams reimagines the music of its 16th-century inspiration: the string ensemble fantasias that were so beloved during the English Renaissance.

Next in the program is Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, a lush, nostalgic work that captures the innocence and quiet wonder of childhood in early 20th-century America. When commissioned to write a work for soprano and orchestra, the American composer looked to the evocative images in James Agee’s novel, A Death in the Family, for source material. Setting excerpts from Agee’s novel to music, Barber creates a dreamlike atmosphere with sweeping, lyrical melodies and warm, evocative orchestration. The piece flows between moments of gentle reflection and more animated bursts of energy, mirroring the rhythms of a summer evening spent with family. With its tender, almost bittersweet tone, Knoxville: Summer of 1915 beautifully conveys the fleeting nature of youth and the deep emotional ties to home and memory.

The evening closes with Brahms’ A German Requiem. Neither a mass nor strictly an oratorio, Brahms’ Requiem is a unique creation divided into seven movements. Over the course of these movements, the listener is taken on a search for enlightenment, beginning with the mourning process and ending with an ultimate promise of eternal peace. But it is the journey that fulfills us, not its destination. For his part, Brahms’ concept of a requiem, was as a consolation for the living, rather than the traditional prayer for the dead. Consequently, he chose to avoid the traditional Catholic Requiem Mass texts (and the Latin language altogether), opting instead for Bible texts, sung in German, so that everyone could understand. His goal for the work is crystal clear from the opening lines from the Book of Matthew: “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Subscriptions are now available for the 2025/26 TACO Classical Series and Amica Rush Hour Series. Subscriber benefits include access to the virtual concert archive, the best pricing as well as the best seats in the house, including the opportunity to always have the same seats at every concert and convenient flexibility with easy-to-accommodate ticket options if any conflicts arise. For subscriptions, tickets and more information visit tickets.riphil.org or call 401.248.7000.

The Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School continues to offer a wide swath of educational opportunities for Rhode Islanders of all musical and economic backgrounds. Visit riphil.org/music-school or call 401.248.7001 for more information.