麻豆社

Rachel Harnisch, Henk Neven, OAE and Marin Alsop live at the 麻豆社 Proms with one of the greats of the choral repertoire - Brahms's German Requiem - and works by Brahms and Schumann.

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London

Presented by Clemency Burton-Hill

Brahms: Tragic Overture (op. 81)
Schumann: Symphony No. 4 in D minor

8.15pm Interval

8.35pm
Brahms: A German Requiem

Rachel Harnisch (soprano)
Henk Neven (baritone)
Choir of the Enlightenment
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Marin Alsop (conductor)

Inspired by the death of his own mother, the German Requiem of Johannes Brahms is famously a piece which sets out to console the living, rather than commending to eternity the souls of the dead. With texts assembled by Brahms himself from the Lutheran Bible, its deliberate avoidance of Christian theology was a source of concern at early performances, but the premiere of the complete work in 1868 was a triumphant turning-point in Brahms's career. Tonight's performance, using period instrument and choral forces of the sort and size Brahms himself would have known, places his masterwork in the context of his relationship with friends and fellow-composers Robert and Clara Schumann - including performances of Schumann's masterly Fourth Symphony and Brahms's own Tragic Overture.

An edited version of this Prom will be broadcast on Friday 23rd August at 2pm.