Christiane Karg © Gisela Schenker
Matthias Goerne © Marie Staggat / Deutsche Grammophon
Christoph Eschenbach © Manu Theobald
Wiener Symphoniker / Wiener Singakademie / Karg / Nigl / Eschenbach
Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem
Thursday
29
September
2022
19:30 – ca. 20:45
Großer Saal
Presented by
Wiener Konzerthausgesellschaft
Magic of Poetry
The Vienna Symphony Orchestra played a major role in establishing Johannes Brahms' reputation as an orchestral composer. The »German Requiem« also links them to the history of the Vienna Konzerthaus. In total, Johannes Brahms tinkered twelve years with his most famous composition for soloist:inside, choir and orchestra. That is why he said, »I don't like to hear that I wrote the Requiem for my mother!«. It is characterized above all by the intensive exchange with Clara Schumann. »Surely a German text can please you as much as the familiar Latin one?« he wrote to the friend. Brahms used Luther's translation of the Old and New Testaments as the basis for »A German Requiem.« »As far as the text is concerned, I will confess that I would also quite gladly leave out the 'German' and simply put the 'human',« he said. For Brahms, it was above all the suffering who needed encouragement.
Publications
Program sheet 1
Program sheet 2