On 17 February (19.00), the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre will host a performance of Johannes Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem featuring the Mariinsky soloists, the Mariinsky Chorus, and the Mariinsky Orchestra under the baton of Pavel Smelkov. Featured vocalists: Irina Churilova (soprano) and Vadim Kravets (baritone). The concert will mark 150 years since the day of the premiere of the full version.
Johannes Brahms began working on Ein deutsches Requiem in 1865, soon after his mother’s death. However, unlike Franz Schubert, who wrote his Requiem much earlier, Johannes Brahms decided against translating the canonical text in Latin into German, but rather chose excerpts from various books of the Bible translated by Martin Luther. The premiere was several years in the making. In 1867, the first three movements premiered, which were later edited by the composer. The full-fledged premiere of Ein deutsches Requiem took place on Good Friday in 1868 at the Bremen Cathedral. The work was received enthusiastically; famous critic Eduard Hanslick put Ein deutsches Requiem on par with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B minor and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. After the premiere, the composer added the fifth part for solo soprano to his Requiem. It explores the theme of a mother’s solace. The final version of Ein deutsches Requiem premiered on 18 February 1869 in Leipzig. This work helped Johannes Brahms gain international recognition as one of major composers of his time. Over a short span of time, Ein deutsches Requiem made its way to the repertoire of the majority of amateur choral groups of Germany and was performed in Switzerland, England, Russia, and then in other countries of Europe.
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