Ein deutsches Requiem – Brahms in the Alps: The Complete Thun Compositions II

Choral Concert

Sunday, 12 August 2018
6 pm, Saanen Church

Brahms’ “German Requiem” holds a special place in the hearts of many Germans because it focuses on origins and heritage. Very different from the Catholic Mass for the Dead (from which Brahms took the title), he emphasized the humble and reassuring convictions of Luther’s disciples – followers from Northern Germany who preferred to console the living instead of praying for the dead. It is said that Brahms wanted to replace the word “German” with the word “Human” in the title, which definitely would have made the composition difficult to classify! This concert offers a more intimate version of the work with two pianos and the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne, one of the best in Switzerland, founded more than half a century ago by Michel Corboz and led by Daniel Reuss since 2015. The concert opens with two compositions that Brahms wrote during his stay on the shores of Lake Thun during the summers of 1887 and 1888.