A German Requiem, Johannes Brahms

REQUIEM IN PROGRESS
The genesis of Johannes Brahms' most important choral symphonic work is characterized by courageous artistic decisions and a creative phase marked by pauses. Even the choice of text is highly progressive from the point of view of tradition, as Brahms opted for a German Requiem and deliberately against the standard Latin texts of the Roman Catholic liturgy.
Several years passed between conception and performance. Two points in time should be emphasized here. The completion of the first two movements was followed by a longer creative break. It was the death of his mother that prompted Brahms to devote himself to the work again. Six movements of the Requiem were performed at the premiere in 1868. Brahms only added the fifth movement "Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit" to the work later.
Together with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra, the Freiburg Chamber Choir, the Lucida Vallis Chamber Choir and the Brahms Choir Baden-Baden will dedicate themselves to this important composition. Diana Fischer (soprano) and Jakob Kunath (baritone) will sing the solos. Under the motto "Requiem in Progress", the concert evening will be complemented by a world premiere that introduces Brahms' Requiem with a reflection on contemporary history and improvisations by the Ensemble Klÿtea.