Olympia Choral Society

Evensong was a great ecclesiastical tradition even prior to the Reformation. In the vernacular of the religious community of the time, it was called Vespers, and continues to this day in many churches that sing Vespers at or around sunset. This grand tradition was adopted as the thesis of the summer concert.

In the late 19^th century, Johannes Brahms, the third of the great “B’s” of musical literature (along with Bach and Beethoven) updated the traditional music of Vespers, creating what he called the Sieben Abendlieder or the seven Evening Songs.

They consist mainly of an ongoing lyric conversation between male and female chorus members and reflect the glories of nature that become so visible at the setting of the sun. Brahm’s harmonics are without equal and it is the blend of the full range of voices from soprano to bass that makes this music so enchanting. As the concert progressed, the pace of the music and the thematic emphasis changed dramatically. The audience was taken from the loveliness of eventide to despair and back to the joy of salvation.