Brahms’ Requiem

Utopia Orchestra
Utopia Choir (rehearsal: Vitaly Polonsky)
Iveta Simonyan soprano
Matthias Winckhler baritone
Teodor Currentzis conductor

Programme:
Johannes Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) for soprano, baritone, mixed choir and orchestra, Op. 45

On Good Friday, 10 April 1868, music history was made in Bremen: Johannes Brahms conducted the acclaimed premiere of »A German Requiem« in St. Petri cathedral. The piece, which initially comprised six movements – with the soprano solo added by the composer not long afterwards – was the breakthrough that made Brahms world-renowned. A milestone in Romantic choral music, Brahms succeeded in creating a uniquely profound work whose main objective was to offer comfort to the bereaved. Greek-Russian conductor Teodor Currentzis has a particular talent for large-scale choral works, as evidenced by his performance of Mozart’s Requiem at the 2017 Musikfest. He now returns to the place of the premiere with Brahms’ groundbreaking masterpiece, accompanied by the Utopia choir and orchestra. This creative collective is made up of members from various international ensembles who come together on a project-by-project basis. Pushing the boundaries of music and delivering profound, extremely expressive performances are Currentzis’ trademark. Balancing austerity with vigour and asceticism with spirituality, he creates a world full of dramatic outbursts and quiet contemplation that lingers long after the music has ended…

supported by the Karin und Uwe Hollweg Stiftung