BBC Hoddinott Hall 2018-19 Brahms Requiem by Brahms, Stravinsky, Alkaen (2019/2019), Musiikinjohto Nathalie Stutzmann, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, United Kingdom

In his first major choral composition Brahms created a work that marked a turning point in his career. Thought to be inspired by the death of his mother, it is a sacred, but non-liturgical work, standing in clear contrast to other well-known requiems based on the Latin Mass, like those of Berlioz and Verdi. In this gentle and deeply personal requiem Brahms crafted a piece that seems to resonate as strongly now as when it was written, with consoling and spiritual tone that speaks on a truly human level.