evOLve: Adult Education Ministry
Johannes Brahms’ Personal Journey for Meaning: The German Requiem
by Greg Athnos
Saturday Oct.5, 9:30 am, McDonnell Hall
Robert Schumann called him: “the inheritor of Beethoven”. An introvert in the age of extroverts, Brahms lived with Schumann and his wife Clara. He considered Schumann his mentor and Schumann’s death at an early age, after being institutionalized for a mental disorder, greatly affected him.
Though he considered himself an atheist, Brahms set upon a path searching for “meaning” in life. Surprisingly, he began reading his mother’s Bible. The verses which he read began to offer him consolation; as he spent time contemplating these passages in Scripture, his spirituality deepened. This was a spiritual journey of several years of inner transformation and increasing solace.
Greg Athnos is an Emeritus Professor of Music at North Park University. He has an extensive background as director of choral organizations and as conductor of University Orchestra and Choir. He has traveled internationally as a lecturer in music and theology and has published books on the Art of the Catacombs. His schedule is filled with lectures and seminars offered to Elderhostel/Road Scholar programs, museums, retirement communities and churches.
His lectures typically include slides and taped music samplings to enhance the experience. Besides the stirring music, Professor Athnos will provide the historical context of the society of the time that shaped and influenced the composer. He will explore the intriguing backstory of this spiritual journey that unfolds in parallel to the musical expression of this conversion. The result: a moving expression of music as prayer. We will also include some discussion of his towering symphonies and his last songs.
