A distinguished line-up of soloists, the Bruckner Orchestra Linz and the Bach Choir Salzburg under the baton of star conductor Christoph von Dohnányi present two monumental and emotional sacred works, whose textual humility and musical splendour provide a fitting celebration for the anniversary of Bruckner's death: Anton Bruckner's setting of Psalm 146 and Johannes Brahms' German Requiem. Bruckner composed his psalm as a kind of cantata, probably before 1858 and possibly after his appointment as cathedral and city parish organist in Linz. It shows impressive evidence of the profound contrapuntal skill he had acquired during his studies with Simon Sechter.
During the same period Brahms began composing material which would later find a place in his German Requiem, completed in 1868. In contrast to the hymn-like paeans of praise in Bruckner's work – also a setting of German texts – the Requiem is a work of funeral music assembled from various, primarily Old Testament sources. Brahms very much wanted the subjective, non-denominational character of these texts to be understood „as a beatitude of sufferers and mourners“. „I must confess that, as far as the text is concerned, I would prefer to omit the „German“ and simply say „mankind“ (….)
Anton Bruckner (1824–1896)
Psalm 146 („Alleluja! Lobet den Herrn, denn lobsingen ist gut“) in A major for soloists, two 4-part mixed choirs and full orchestra. WAB 37 (before 1858)
– Pause –
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) to texts from the scriptures
for soloists, choir and orchestra, Op. 45 (1861, 1865–66, 1868)
Jacquelyn Wagner | Soprano
Stephanie Houtzeel | Mezzosoprano
Kyungho Kim | Tenor
Michael Volle | Baritone
Bachchor Salzburg
Bruckner Orchestra Linz
Christoph von Dohnányi | Conductor