Claudio Abbado conducts Brahms's Ein Deutsches Requiem
With Barbara Bonney and Bryn Terfel – Berliner Philharmoniker
Cast
Claudio Abbado — Music director
Swedish Radio Choir
Eric Ericson Chamber Choir
Maria Wieslander — Chorus director
Program notes
Claudio Abbado conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker in a solemn and intimate performance of Brahms's Ein Deutsches Requiem.
A "Human requiem" as Brahms liked to call it, Ein Deutsches Requiem breaks with tradition, using inspiration from the Protestant Bible of Luther. Brahms wrote the text himself, giving more importance to the living. A remarkable piece of sacred music, this work was composed soon after the genius of Hamburg's mother passed away (1865).
Two swedish choirs are gathered for this performance at the Musikverein in Vienna: the Swedish Radio Choir and the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir. Barbara Bonney's crystal-clear voice and Bryn Terfel's warm tone reply to the Berliner Philharmoniker, under the direction of Claudio Abbado, and enhance the emotion of this timeless masterpiece.
