Strauss / Mendelssohn

The Orfeón Donostiarra and four renowned soloists will join the Basque National Orchestra to perform Ich habe genug, one of Johann Sebastian Bach's most moving sacred cantatas, composed during his fruitful period as Thomaskantor in Leipzig. Next, The First Night of Walpurgis, the oratorio with which Felix Mendelssohn paid tribute to this ancient pagan festival with its deep roots in Germanic lands. While Mendelssohn's work, set in a lush forest, addresses the phenomenon of death and the mysteries of nature from a pantheistic viewpoint, contrary to Christian orthodoxy, Richard Strauss's symphonic poem Death and Transfiguration, which will be played beforehand, offers a serene and philosophical vision of the final passage of a human being. Alexander Liebreich, conductor of the Valencia Orchestra and a renowned specialist in symphonic-choral repertoire, will be the master of ceremonies for this celebration of the different ages of German music.