Requiem by Johannes Brahms

In the fall of 2001, a special memorial concert was presented by the New York Philharmonic and the New York Choral Artists, conducted by Kurt Mazur. I sat in my living room and listened to the whole thing. The music, the text, the attention of the audience (almost no coughing!), and the extended period of silence at the end of the concert moved me deeply. I cried like a baby. It helped me considerably in my mourning for the three-thousand.

I know some of the professional singers and a cellist who were a part of this program. I have never heard this chorus or this orchestra perform with such commitment, emotion, skill, and beauty as they did in this concert.

If this concert was recorded, please pursue rebroadcasting that recording.

May we always remember the three-thousand, and may we always find catharsis and comfort through the music we perform and to which we listen.

Mark Victor Smith