To Those Left Behind
By Amrita Raja
Program from Ein deutsches Requiem performance (By Amrita Raja)
On Saturday night, as part of the commemorations of the anniversary, I attended a performance of Brahms's Ein deutsches Requiem, a joint effort by the New River Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Virginia Tech choirs and the Blacksburg Master Chorale.
Ein deutsches Requiem is a promise, in a sense. It speaks to those left behind, offering them an assurance that their loved ones are at rest and a reminder of their ultimate reunion. For this reason, the requiem seemed appropriate for an audience that is perhaps still searching for answers one year after a tragedy.
As I sat in the auditorium, the layered instrumentation led me to an awareness of Norris Hall, only a few feet away. What had become a blurring memory became a vivid realization. This renewed awareness has restored my frustration with my inability to come to terms with the events of that morning.
I realize that the performers must also have been friends, teachers and peers of those lost on April 16, 2007. I can only imagine the pain they must have relived to share this requiem with us. Yet performing Ein deutsches Requiem must also have given them a kind of solace of which the audience could only experience second-hand.
By Amy L. Kovac |
April 13, 2008; 10:19 AM ET
| Category:
Amrita Raja
Previous: Lingering Worries |
Next: A Student Body Grows Up
We encourage users to analyze, comment on and even challenge washingtonpost.com's articles, blogs, reviews and multimedia features.
User reviews and comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions.