Brahms worked for two decades on his German Requiem before its premiere in Bremen Cathedral in 1868. At the age of thirty-five, at peak creative force, Brahms produced a work that perfectly masters the great sound masses of the orchestra and choir, for a masterpiece that surpasses all comparable productions and dominates Brahms’s oeuvre. The colossal Funeral March that forms the heart of the work (Denn alles Fleisch) has the force of Wagner’s choral pieces, but is imbued with an inner pain that stems from the trials and tribulations of the composer’s life during the genesis of this Requiem. In truth, far from being a requiem mass, this is a Trauermusik, a vast work of funeral music with a romantic spirit, modelled on the early works of Schütz and Bach and their intense Lutheran faith, to ultimately produce an entirely new composition in the German language – a huge success in German-speaking countries. It was premièred at the same time as Wagner’s The Master-Singers and is undoubtedly as emblematic of the German soul : its immense central fugue forges a wild ascent to the summits, before an apocalyptic vision and the heavenly finale.

Raphaël Pichon tackles this monument of sacred music with the forces of his Pygmalion ensemble, well versed in the immense scope of Bach’s Passions : a path to eternity.

Productions of the Royal Opera / Château de Versailles Spectacles.

Concert on period instruments or copies of period instruments, with historically informed interpretation.

Daniel Speer (1636-1707)

Ach! Wie elend ist unser Zeit (Canon à 4)

Félix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Drei Kirchenmusiken op. 23 : III. « Mitten wir im Leben sind »

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Ein deutsches Requiem

– Selig sind, die da Leid tragen

– Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras

– Herr, lehre doch mich

– Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen

– Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit

– Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt

– Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herren sterben

PRESTIGE VIP CATEGORY: Best seats in house with complimentary glass of champagne and programme.

PRESTIGE CATEGORY: Excellent seats with complimentary glass of champagne and programme.

REDUCED RATE: applicable to under 26s, Chateau de Versailles Spectacles card holders and groups of more than 10 people (excluding special company offer).

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