Brahms' A German Requiem

Sacred Music / Brahms German Requiem 

Johann Brahms' A German Requiem, to Words of the Holy Scriptures, Op. 45 (German: ''Ein deutsches Requiem, nach Worten der heiligen Schrift''), is a large-scale work for chorus, orchestra, a soprano and a baritone, composed between 1865 and 1868. The work comprises seven movements, which last about 65 to 80 minutes, considered Brahms' longest composition. A German Requiem is sacred but non-liturgical. Johannes Brahms premiered this work on April 10, 1868, for an audience that included his lifelong friend - and fellow composer - Clara Schumann. Brahms was 34 at the time, and this would become the signature moment of his career.

This large-scale work for choir, orchestra, and soprano and baritone soloists was composed between 1865 and 1868. It comprises seven movements, which together last 65 to 80 minutes, making this Brahms's longest composition. A German Requiem is sacred but non-liturgical. Unlike the long tradition of Latin requiems, A German Requiem (Ein deutsches Requiem) is, as the title indicates, in the German language. 

 A humanist, agnostic and religious skeptic, Johannes Brahms selected passages from the Bible and set them to music in German, his native tongue. For the composer, known for not wearing his heart on his sleeve and for keeping to himself all matters emotional, personal and spiritual, the text selections can be seen as a personal statement. And it is a profoundly moving statement, with various moods fitting the desperation and emotional spectrum of grief. But the final movement is radiant and gentle, with the words, "Blessed are the dead … they rest from their labors." 

The libretto was assembled by Brahms himself. In contrast to the traditional Roman Catholic Requiem Mass which uses a standardised Latin text, this work is derived from the German Luther Bible.

History of the Laser

LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.  It is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons.  The emitted laser light is noted for its high degree of spatial and temporal coherence, which is unattainable using other technologies.

Laser amplifiers are used in industrial, medical, military, and commercial applications.

Spatial coherence is typically expressed through the output being a narrow beam which is diffraction-limited, often a so-called "pencil beam." Laser beams can be focused to very tiny spots, achieving a very high irradiance. They can also be launched into a beam of very low divergence in order to concentrate their power at large distances.

Mozart Opera Die Entführung aus Dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio)

Classical Music / Opera

This opera, a German singspiel, is about an attempt by the hero Belmonte, assisted by his servant Pedrillo, to rescue beloved Constanze from the harem of Pasha Selim. 

Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) 

The Abduction from the Seraglio is an opera Singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Gottlieb Stephanie, based on Christoph Friedrich Bretzner's Belmont und Constanze, oder Die Entführung aus dem Serail. The work premiered on 16 July 1782 at the Vienna Burgtheater, with the Mozart himself conducting.  It is a coincidence that the opera's heroine has a name almost identical to that of Mozart's future wife, Constanze, but one can only imagine that the sensuality in his music is in some sense dedicated to her (they married less than a month after the Seraglio's premiers. Who knows, perhaps Wolfgang Mozart saw in himself something of Belmonte. His arias are imbued with grace. 

 
Music:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Libretto:  In German by J.G. Stephanie the Younger, adapted from an original libretto by Friedrich Breitzner's Belmonte and Constanze (1782, Vienna).  

Opera:  A comedy, in three acts.  Approximately 130 minutes.

First performed: Burgtheater, Vienna, July 16, 1772.

Setting: Turkey, 16^th century, but often played in 18^th-century dress. 

Characters:

Constanze    A Spanish lady (Soprano)

Blonda    Constanze's maid  (Soprano)

Belmonte    Constanze's lover (Tenor)

Pasha Selim (Speaking Part)

Osmin    Selim's Overseer (Bass)

Pedrillo    Former servant of Belmonte  (Tenor)