For Lent / PC 4
Programme
Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir
Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet Chamber Choir
Grete Pedersen, conductor
Marita Sølberg, soprano
Yngve Søberg, baritone
The first mature work of the then thirty-two-year-old Brahms was performed in its second, still incomplete version in Bremen on Good Friday, as on the present occasion. Unlike Mozart, Cherubini or Verdi, Brahms did not use the usual liturgical text of the Requiem Mass for the German Requiem. Instead, the work, which was created gradually, contains various passages from the Luther Bible. Due to his departure from the classical liturgical text, Brahms was the target of a great deal of criticism, especially from theologians. In response he remarked: “I nevertheless have faith in myself.”