Ein Deutsches Requiem

Are you afraid of dying? Is there life after death? And how do you process the death of a loved one? For more than a thousand years, the musical Requiem has been helping humankind to come to terms with those inevitable questions. The repertoire extends from the Gregorian mass for the dead to polyphony and Baroque Requiems to romantic and contemporary versions. With Ein Deutsches Requiem, Johannes Brahms made a unique contribution to that illustrious tradition in 1868. In his mass for the dead, Latin is replaced by German and the Christian doctrine gives way to a universal, deeply human interpretation. In Brahms, the terrible trumpets of the Last Judgment are silent. Instead, we hear a comforting attempt at reconciliation with transience. Conducted by Alejo Pérez, the Opera Ballet Vlaanderen Chorus and Orchestra are guests at the Ghent Festival of Flanders. Together they fill the impressive St. Bavo Cathedral with Brahms' comforting music of mourning. In Antwerp, Ein Deutsches Requiem will be performed at the Opera.