Our May concert features the magnificent Requiem by Brahms – perhaps the most unique of all Requiems. As Brahms himself said, it is less a Requiem for the dead than one intended to comfort the living; less a work of religion than a work of humanity. The Requiem emerged from a decade of turmoil in the composer’s life, including the death of his great friend, Robert Schumann in 1856 and of his mother in 1865. But, like all great works of art, it has transcended its origins, and has become one of the greatest choral works ever written.
Brahms was a deep, serious man, who was also extremely shy. All his emotions were expressed through his music; and this Requiem is one of the most beautifully expressed and personal of all his compositions. Musically, its carefully balanced architecture is matched by an equally firm musical structure. The Requiem unfolds as a gentle, lyrical expression of consolation, through rich melody, untroubled sweetness and beauty, into episodes of monumental power. Brahms’ Requiem will leave you feeling comforted, uplifted and on top of the world.
This choral performance of the Requiem will be accompanied by Brahms’ Tragic Overture, a free-standing symphonic movement for orchestra, performed this evening by the Kent Sinfonia.
