Johannes Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem op. 45

Brahms's "Ein deutsches Requiem" op. 45 is one of the most frequently performed works in music history, and with good reason. Its immediate sonic power, expansive scope, and mastery of Baroque and Classical techniques are just some of the qualities that have always resonated directly with audiences. This work stands fundamentally apart from other composers' Requiem settings: here, suffering perceptibly transforms into feelings of hope and consolation, musically uniting aspects of Christian faith tradition with personal humanism.

Normally performed by mixed choral ensembles, this mighty Romantic music sounds in the performance of Windsbacher Knabenchor with a rarely heard intensity. The youthful freshness of the boys' and young men's voices strips the work of all heaviness, transforming it into luminous floating. They receive support from their friends in the Finnish boys' choir Cantores minores from Helsinki.

Along with "Ein deutsches Requiem", Brahms's Tragic Overture in D minor op. 81 and the motet "Why is light given to those who labour" op. 81 will be performed.