This story is featured in CityBeat’s Jan. 24 print edition.
Will Liverman is a mainstay of contemporary opera, but after two years of groundbreaking lead roles, he’s taking a deep dive into more intimate classical works. Earlier this month, Liverman sang a solo recital that included his own compositions for Cincinnati Song Initiative. Liverman makes his Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra debut, joining soprano Joélle Harvey, the CSO and the May Festival Chorus for A German Requiem by Brahms from Feb. 9-11.
Liverman garnered rave reviews for his portrayal of writer Charles M. Blow in Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones, which debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2022. In the fall of 2023, Liverman had another star turn at the Met as Malcolm X in Anthony Davis’s 1986 opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.
Although Brahms’ Requiem is not an opera, Liverman welcomes the opportunity to sing in one of the most beloved pieces in choral literature. Written for orchestra, chorus, and soprano and baritone soloists, the seven-movement work is the closest Brahms got to opera.
“Brahms is one of my favorite composers,” says Liverman, speaking from Miami, Fla. “He writes for the voice with melodic lines that are so stunning and easy to get into! It doesn’t take much for me to get into any Brahms song.
“I wish he’d written an opera because of how he uses the music to bring out something that’s intense,” he adds.
Brahms began composing the Requiem in 1856 and the finished version premiered in 1869 in Leipzig, Germany. The text is entirely in German, verses expressing comfort and reassurance from Old and New Testament sources.
The baritone solos (and the soprano’s) are personal expressions of grief and comfort, with choral responses. “The Requiem is one of my favorite pieces because there’s such grandness to it,” Liverman says. “The word placement is so intentional and poignant.”
Liverman’s CSO debut marks his first time working with Louis Langrée, who shares Liverman’s enthusiasm for Brahms, and with Joélle Harvey. “She’s great and I’m so fortunate to work with her and Maestro Langrée.”
This appearance marks his third time in Cincinnati. Audiences lucky enough to be in the audience for Cincinnati Opera’s 2022 rousing tribute to opera and gospel coordinated by CO’s artistic consultant bass Morris Robinson heard Liverman deliver a riveting performance of the Count’s aria from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and in the second half, an equally moving rendition of the gospel hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”
“It was so cool to be part of that genre-blending,” Liverman recalls. “I grew up with gospel [music] and it’s a part of me.”
The Virginia native’s vocal career took off after receiving degrees in music from Wheaton College and Juilliard. He began his arc of singing historical figures in 2015 as jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie in the world premiere of Charlie Parker’s Yardbird by Daniel Schnyder for Opera Philadelphia.
His early career was equal parts contemporary and classical. Liverman appeared in Philip Glass’s Akhnaten, Nico Muhly’s Marnie at the Metropolitan Opera and in the world premiere of Kevin Puts’ The Manchurian Candidate. He frequently sang Figaro in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and in 2019, he was the first Black man to sing the bird catcher Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera.
Liverman released his first recording, “Whither Must I Wander,” in 2019, followed by “Dreams of a New Day,” a collection of songs by Black composers that received a Grammy nomination for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.
COVID-19 shutdowns derailed plans for more leading roles, but Liverman diversified. Already a skilled pianist and arranger, Liverman turned to composition after seeing a film about the hit musical Rent’s source material, the opera La Bohème.
Years of singing Figaro got him thinking about putting the wily barber in a contemporary Black barbershop on Chicago’s South Side. He shared his ideas with his childhood friend, producer and instrumentalist DJ King Rico. Lyric Opera of Chicago came through with a commission and The Factotum debuted last February with Liverman singing the lead at Chicago’s Harris Theater. Every performance sold out.
One review dubbed The Factotum “hip-hopera” and another praised “its seamlessly interwoven musical styles.”
Liverman continues to revise his score but he says the experience itself was equally important.
“I don’t think we’re encouraged enough to go down other paths as artists,” he said in an interview for the website Explore Classical Music. “I started to fight this notion and took on more commissions and creative projects, once I realized that we don’t need permission to tell stories that are important to us.”
Last October, Liverman released “The Dunbar/Moore Project, Vol. 1,” an EP of his settings of poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar and Alice Moore. As the title suggests, more recordings of art songs are scheduled.
During the pandemic, Liverman appeared on tenor Lawrence Brownlee’s video series “The Sitdown with LB” (you can catch it on YouTube).
The in-depth interview included a laugh-out-loud video of Liverman calling out artists who show up unprepared. Sporting a hoodie and sunglasses and channeling the rapper Future, Liverman chants, “It’s the first day of rehearsal, the music, you ain’t learned it!” Three years later, Liverman says the video is catching up with him now that his schedule is packed with recitals, opera roles, recordings, arrangements and composition.
“I do have more sympathy now for folks who are constantly on the go,” he laughs. “It’s really hard to find time to learn new music when you’re singing in a production.”
Immersing himself in Brahms will be a pleasure for Liverman, who says his composing chops enhance his admiration for both Brahms and A German Requiem.
“I’m always curious about musical structure, how it builds, how themes return,” he says. “There’s always something new to hear and to discover! That’s the genius of it and honestly, that’s how you learn. That’s the reason why people revisit the Brahms Requiem and other masterpieces. And during times like these, music is needed most.”
Brahms’ A German Requiem is performed at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9 and 10 and 2 p.m. Feb. 11 at Music Hall in Over-the-Rhine. Info: cincinnatisymphony.org.
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This article appears in Jan 10-23, 2024.
