A German Requiem: Diana Damrau and Gerald Finley

Brahms’s German Requiem charts a journey through grief to hope, in music that has brought solace to generations of listeners.

It’s the largest-scale work he ever wrote, and arguably the most personal too – begun just a few months after the death of his mother. Rather than the usual Latin Requiem Mass, Brahms chose to set his own selection of passages from the Bible, in German. His message is one of steadfast faith, and compassion and comfort for those who mourn. Balancing movements for the full chorus and orchestra with beautiful solos for baritone and soprano, the work culminates in a magnificent choral fugue.

Before singing the soprano solo in Brahms’s masterpiece alongside Grammy Award-winning baritone Gerald Finley, Diana Damrau performs some of her favourite songs by Richard Strauss. The Philharmonia has a particular affinity for Strauss’s music, stretching back to 1947 when he conducted the orchestra himself. And the “natural clarity and sweetness” (Gramophone) of Damrau’s voice lends itself perfectly to his poignant and expressive vocal writing.”