Consolation and reconciliation - Maurice Duruflé REQUIEM op. 9 and works by M. Reger, J. Alain, R. Mauersberg

Why do we need comfort?
What does comfort mean and where does it come from?
As a choir, we have thought about these questions. According to our conviction at
, comfort comes from closeness, compassion and understanding - through gestures,
words and music that help to bear pain and excessive demands and to regain
trust. Consolation is closely linked to reconciliation: It opens the way to accepting what is difficult and finding inner peace.
These thoughts gave rise to a two-part concert program that
musically traces the path from grief and enmity to consolation and reconciliation
- and thus also tells a part of Franco-German history.

Why do we need consolation?
What does consolation mean and where does it come from?
As a choir, we have thought about these questions. Consolation, according to our
conviction, comes from closeness, compassion and understanding - through gestures,
words and music that help to bear pain and excessive demands and to regain
trust. Consolation is closely linked to reconciliation: It opens the way to accepting what is difficult and finding inner peace.
These thoughts gave rise to a two-part concert program that
musically traces the path from grief and enmity to consolation and reconciliation
- and thus also tells a part of Franco-German history.

In the first part, a dramatic development is heard, leading through
different eras in which war, suffering and humanity come together.
From the ironic anticipation of war in the 15th century (Guillaume Dufay
"L'homme armé") to Max Reger's quiet consolation in the First World War ("Nachtlied") and Jehan Alain's lament over death and loss ("Complainte de Jean Renaud") to the destruction of Dresden in Rudolf Mauersberger's harrowing motet "Wie liegt die Stadt so wüst", an arc of increasing existential depth is spanned.

The second part features Maurice Duruflé's Requiem op. 9, which was composed during the
Second World War. In it, Duruflé combines Gregorian melody
with modern harmony to create music of peace and reconciliation. It
looks beyond war and suffering to hope and renewal -
also a musical symbol of Franco-German friendship,
which has grown out of the ruins of two wars.

Copyright: DFC Freiburg