Program

Brahms: German Requiem

Magyar Rádió Művészeti Együttesei, Zeneakadémia - Nagyterem
Liszt Ferenc tér 8., 1061 Budapest

NOSTALGIA. LONGING. RELIEF.

Season Ticket ’VÁSÁRY’

Current events

11 Mar 2027 Thursday, 7:30PM

not available

Description
Actors
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Like so many of Brahms’ large-scale compositions his piece entitled ‘A German Requiem’ also quickly reached Hungarian audiences. The work was performed in Hungary in 1884, and even the dress rehearsal generated enormous interest. Brahms compiled the text of the piece from various books of the Holy Scriptures. He used psalms, gospels, the epistles of the apostles, prophetic books, and in two cases even apocryphal texts, and composed music to these writings. Through his choice of texts, Brahms placed the idea of death at the centre of each movement of the piece. According to Hungarian composer Zoltán Horusitzky, Brahms does not paint “a metaphysical world, but creates only its reflection in man’s eternal nostalgia. This provides both longing and reassurance at the same time. This music is not realistic, nor is it transcendental, nor is it brilliantly cheerful, nor is it dark and gloomy, but it is all of these things combined.”

Program
J. Brahms: German Requiem

Conductor
Domonkos Héja

Artists
Zita Szemere (soprano),
Mihály Kálmándy (baritone)
Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Hungarian Radio Choir (choral director: Máté Szabó Sipos