Reviews

Mr. Herreweghe conceived the first half of this fascinating program as an entity and, through hand gestures, made it clear that he wanted no applause between works. The riveted audience complied.

He opened with a haunting a cappella work of Brahms, “Warum Ist das Licht Gegeben.” This 10-minute motet, ravishingly performed, combines anguished texts from the Book of Job (“Why is life given to him that is in misery?”) and the Lamentations of Jeremiah (“Let us lift up our hearts”) with music that alternates magisterial canonic counterpoint with passages of consoling chromatic harmony. The choir sang with rich, unforced sound and calm command.