ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
PHILIPPE HERREWEGHE
Ein deutsches Requiem op.45
Chen Reiss soprano
Thomas Tatzl baritone
Collegium Vocale Gent choir
Antwerp Symphony Orchestra
Matthew Halls conductor
Opinions about Johannes Brahms’ ‘Ein deutsches Requiem’ were unanimously positive, even at the first performances. The Viennese music critic Hanslick went a step further and wrote ‘Since Bach’s B Minor Mass and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, nothing has been written of this kind that can come close to Brahms’ “deutsches Requiem” ’What connects these masterpieces besides their evident musical richness, is the underlying message of overarching humanity. The religious context is a foundation, but not a goal. ‘Ein deutsches Requiem’ is not a mournful piece, but music for consolation; music for the living!