Handel and Haydn Society to Present Brahms' 'Requiem' This Month

The Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra and Chorus will perform Brahms' profoundly moving A German Requiem. Led by conductor Bernard Labadie, the concerts on April 19 + 21 at Symphony hall also include the H+H premiere of the emotionally powerful Begräbnisgesang (Funeral Song). The performances will include soloists soprano Lucy Crowe and baritone James Atkinson. 
 
These concerts present an evolution in Brahms’ work. Composed ten years before the German Requiem, The Funeral Song marked one of Brahms’ first forays into combining voice and the orchestra. The short piece will be followed by the German Requiem, a deeply inspiring work written following the death of Brahms’ mother. 
 
“Matching ferocity with tenderness, boldness with beauty, the work showcases the healing power of music, providing solace to Brahms and millions of listeners since the first performance in 1869,” said David Snead, Philip and Marjorie Gerdine President and CEO of the Handel and Haydn Society.
 
A frequent guest conductor with H+H, Bernard Labadie is widely regarded as one of the world's leading conductors of the Baroque and Classical repertoire. He founded Canada’s Les Violons du Roy and was their music director for three decades. He continues to be music director of its extraordinary choir, La Chapelle de Québec, which he founded in 1985. In 2018, he became Principal Conductor of the Orchestra of St. Luke's in New York.
 
Lucy Crowe is a prolific recitalist, touring this season in the title role of Handel's Rodelinda in the United States and Asia with Harry Bicket. She is an on demand performer with opera companies and orchestras throughout the world and this year will appear in Munich, Esterhazy, Gdansk, Tampere, Paris, and London. 
 
British baritone James Atkinson is a graduate of the Royal College of Music Opera Studio, where he studied with Alison Wells. In September 2023, Atkinson joined the BBC New Generation Artist scheme in conjunction with BBC Radio 3. His many awards include the Royal Over-Seas League Singers' Prize (2022), the Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards (2018), the Mozart Competition, and the Audience Prize at the Somerset Song Prize (2019).
 
Before each concert guests can connect with the majesty of Brahms in a new way thanks to students at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt). Under the instruction of MassArt faculty members, students in the Illustration Department created works of visual art inspired by A German Requiem. Several of the students’ works will be on display prior to both shows and during intermission at Symphony Hall. Students will price their work and have the opportunity to sell it to H+H patrons.
 

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