Brahms Requiem

With texts taken from Luther’s Bible, Brahms’ German Requiem was at first a controversial creation that was not well received in Catholic circles, which stigmatised it as asceticism. Yet famous critic Eduard Hanslick did see how to appreciate its merit: “It is one of the most ripe fruits in the field of sacred music born from the style of the last Beethoven”, he wrote. “The harmonic and contrapuntal art that Brahms learned from the school of Bach is inspired with the living breath of the present”. The German Requiem soon moved on to play a central role in symphonic-choral repertoires and, to present it, the Basque National Orchestra decided to invite a collection of top-tier voices. Georg Mark will be the conductor.