Brahms Requiem at Musikkens Hus

Brahms may have written the Requiem in memory of his mother, but it is equally possible that he had in mind his great friend and composer, Robert Schumann, whose madness and tragic death had profoundly affected the young Brahms.

Brahms wrote a Requiem to comfort the living, not one for the souls of the dead. Consequently the work focuses on faith in the Resurrection rather than fear of the Day of Judgement. It was immediately recognized as a masterpiece of exceptional vision, and it finally confirmed Brahms' reputation as a composer of international stature.

The famous chorus, 'How lovely are thy dwellings', is at the heart of the work, and moves from solemnity and grief to the certainty of comfort. Just as in Handel's Messiah, it features a baritone soloist singing 'We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed ... at the sound of the last trumpet', as well as the lyrics 'Death, where is thy sting?' The Requiem reaches its peaceful conclusion at the same word with which it began: 'Blessed'.