Once again, the Vienna Singverein will be part of the celebrated Salzburg Festival, travelling to Salzburg in July. This time they will be performing a piece that is a favourite of both the choir and of its director Johannes Prinz: A German Requiem by Johannes Brahms. The concerts will take place on July 28 and 30, 2023, in the “Großes Festspielhaus” under the direction of Christian Thielemann, with the Vienna Philharmonic playing and Elsa Dreisig and Michael Volle singing the solo parts.
When the first three movements of Brahms' "Requiem" were premiered in 1867, the Vienna Singverein was the performing choir, and went on to play the piece nearly 150 times over the course of time. The unique atmosphere of the Salzburg Festival will make the concerts particularly memorable for the singers. And singing Brahms Requiem is always moving: "I have now laid down my mourning and it has been lifted from me; I have completed my funeral music as beatitude for those who suffer." (Johannes Brahms in a letter in February 1867)