Rotunda Concert Series: Round 2

by Eddie Sonnie

I recently had my second experience singing with the University Chorale at the library rotunda concert series. Once per semester, we give our fellow Captains a small taste of what to expect at our next concert, and it always goes really well! Our university President Paul Trible always comes out to see us perform, and talks with us afterward, thanking us for a great performance.

This time around we sang parts of Mozart’s “Requiem,” which was his last work, and is about an hour and a half long, divided into many movements. The song was commissioned by a mysterious figure dressed in all black with a mask, and it was to be a mourning piece for the dead. Mozart worked very hard on this piece, however, near the 40th page of this piece, he died.

We didn’t sing the whole hour and a half of the work for this concert, instead, just three movements: “Dies Irae,” “Rex Tremendae,” and “Lacrimosa,” which each uniquely evoke different emotions. “Dies Irae” translates to “Day of Wrath” from Latin, and this movement evokes a sense of fear and urgency. “Rex Tremendae” or “Tremendous King” is triumphant, actings as an allegory for superiority and royalty. “Lacrimosa” is a complete 180-degree turn, as it translates to “Tearful” and is encompassed by feelings of grief and sadness. 

Although the music was somewhat sad, the performance was great, and we even got to perform for a group of high school students participating in the “Music Major for a Day” program. The rotunda concert series is a really fun way to show off what the University Chorale is all about, and it makes me really proud to be a part of such an amazing music ensemble.