About

Mozart Symphony No. 40

Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem

Thomas Zehetmair conductor

Elizabeth Watts soprano

Andrew Foster-Williams bass-baritone

BBC National Chorus of Wales


UNMISTAKABLE | UPLIFTING | BREATHTAKING

Bringing the power of opera to the concert platform, Mozart's penultimate symphony is a passionate masterclass in tension and release. The darkly intense opening movement gives way to a lighter more lyrical Andante and light and shade abound as a terse Minuet leads to a colourful Trio before the anguishingly turbulent finale ramps this masterpiece to a close.

In a gentle and deeply personal work, Brahms' lyrically uplifting Requiem stands as one of the world's greatest choral works. Written following the death of his mother and marking a turning point in his career, this non-liturgical, but sacred Requiem, stands in clear contrast to other well-known requiems based on the Latin Mass, like those of Verdi or Mozart. A powerful calm and serenity is marked with hope and spirituality which speaks on a truly human level that resonates with audiences as strongly today as when it was written