Music Director Designate Markus Poschner conducts Brahms' A German Requiem with the Utah Symphony Chorus, featuring trumpet soloist Tine Thing Helseth.
Markus Poschner takes the podium at Maurice Abravanel Hall on Friday, March 26, and Saturday, March 27, for two performances of Brahms' A German Requiem. Poschner is the Utah Symphony's Music Director Designate, and he's known for his interpretations of Brahms, so this is right in his wheelhouse. He'll be leading the orchestra along with the Utah Symphony Chorus, directed by Austin McWilliams, and soloists soprano Heidi Stober and baritone John Moore.
The night starts with two trumpet-led pieces. First is Charles Ives' The Unanswered Question, where a single trumpet poses a question that the rest of the orchestra can't quite resolve. Then comes Nico Muhly's Doom Painting, a trumpet concerto written for the evening's soloist, Tine Thing Helseth, who is a world-renowned trumpeter. It premiered in 2024 under Poschner and works through the metaphysical history of trumpets in the Bible, from jubilation to the solemnity of the Last Judgment. Both pieces put the trumpet front and center before the full force of the chorus and orchestra takes over.
The second half is the main event: Brahms' A German Requiem, one of his most significant works. It's built on lines like "Blessed are they who bear suffering" and "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy," and it brings together the symphony, the chorus, and the soloists for the full scale of the piece.
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Both performances start at 7:30 PM. If you want a bit more context before the music begins, there's a pre-concert chat with the guest artists and musicians in the First Tier Room, starting 45 minutes before each show. That puts it at 6:45 PM if you're planning to be there.
