Philharmonic at the Stadion Hall
JOHANNES BRAHMS German Requiem, Op. 45
Martina Janková soprano, Martin Bárta baritone, Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno, choir director Petr Fiala, Brno Philharmonic, conductor Andreas Sebastian Weiser
• Double anniversary of Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) this season: 120 years since his death and 185 years since his birth • The cantata German Requiem (Ein deutsches Requiem), Brahms’s largest work, finished in 1868 (that is, 150 years before our performance – yet another anniversary!) and written on texts selected from Luther’s German translation of the Bible • An ascetic and deeply spiritual work, Brahms’s lack of faith notwithstanding • Martina Janková, opera and concert singer of world renown, has performed the soprano part in German Requiem at important venues (including Prague’s Rudolfinum, Zurich’s Tonhalle and Baden-Baden’s Festspielhaus) under the baton of important conductors (Vassily Sinaisky, Daniele Gatti, Enoch zu Guttenberg) • Baritone Martin Bláha, soloist of Prague State Opera, and conductor Andreas Sebastian Weiser, the artistic director of that opera company and chief conductor of Hradec Králové Philharmonic
