Organization

Conductor

Simon Rattle

Chorus master

Aidan Oliver

Singer

Soprano

Iwona Sobotka

Baritone

Florian Boesch

soprano

Contralto

Hanna Hipp

Alto

London Symphony Orchestra

Orchestra

Others

Edinburgh Festival Chorus

Sir Simon Rattle: Szymanowski and Brahms

Edinburgh

United Kingdom

Edinburgh International Festival

Usher Hall

Edinburgh International Festival: Szymanowski & Brahms: Stabat Mater Szymanowski (+1 More)

Public

Private

Stabat Mater, Op.53

A German Requiem

Approved

In one of Sir Simon Rattle’s farewell performances as Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, two very different choral works take centre stage. First, the Stabat Mater by Karol Szymanowski spotlights the Polish composer’s fantastical musical imagination, influenced by the cultures of the Mediterranean, north Africa and ancient Greece. His Stabat Mater is exotic and sensual, while also reflecting his own profound faith. Alongside the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, Iwona Sobotka (soprano), Hanna Hipp (alto) and Florian Boesch (baritone) carry the challenging solos.

Johannes Brahms’s uplifting Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) is just as unconventional. Instead of setting the traditional Latin Requiem, Brahms chose Lutheran German texts that offer a consoling outlook on mourning. This was one of his breakthrough works, inspired by the deaths of his mother and, earlier, his mentor, Robert Schumann. In this music, sorrow meets serenity and offers us a promise of healing.

English

Sir Simon Rattle: Szymanowski and Brahms by Szymanowski, Brahms, From (2023/2023), Conductor Simon Rattle, Usher Hall, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues