The Requiem and the Missa Solemnis were the largest scale, most richly orchestrated and most ambitious of Bruckner's works written between the ages of 25 and 30. They represent the summation of his interaction with tradition up to that time, and reveal the influence of Bach, the Viennese classical composers and Schubert in particular. The Mass begins in the unusual key of B minor, later turning to the brighter key of B flat, the key of the Magnificat which precedes it in this concert.
The funeral pieces of the second half, on the other hand, are written in the minor keys which Bruckner preferred, as can be seen above all in his symphonies. No less than three times is a symphony in C minor followed by one in D minor. All the works performed here had their first performances in the monastery of St. Florian, the Mass 165 years ago and the Requiem 170 years ago. The concert not only provides an ideal opportunity to hear rarely-performed works by Bruckner; it also presents a large number of musicians new to the festival, including a splendid solo quartet, the internationally reknowned RIAS chamber choir and, in the form of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, one of the most creative and innovative early music ensembles of the present day.
Anton Bruckner (1824–1896)
Magnificat in B major, WAB 24 (1852)
Missa solemnis in B minor, WAB 29 (1854)
– Break –
Aequale in C minor, WAB 114 (1847)
Nachruf in C minor, WAB 81 (1877)
Aequale in C minor, WAB 149 (1847)
Requiem in D minor, WAB 39 (1848–49, rev. 1892)
Johanna Winkel | Soprano
Sophie Harmsen | Mezzosoprano
Sebastian Kohlhepp | Tenor
Ludwig Mittelhammer | Baritone
RIAS Kammerchor Berlin
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
Łukasz Borowicz | Conductor