Johannes Brahms - Ein deutsches Requiem (Raphaël Pichon)

Information

Composer: Johannes Brahms

• Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45

Sabine Devieilhe, soprano

Stéphane Degout, baritone

Pygmalion

Raphaël Pichon, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: harmonia mundi

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Unlike the dramatic depictions of the Last Judgement typical of traditional requiems, Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem was conceived as a work of comfort and reflection—a message of solace for the living rather than mourning for the dead. After more than a decade of artistic contemplation, Brahms created a deeply humanist composition grounded in empathy and spiritual depth. In this recording, the performers approach the work with meticulous care, crafting a transparent and balanced polyphonic texture that illuminates its emotional subtlety and timeless universality, offering a moving experience of consolation and transcendence.

Born in 1984, French conductor Raphaël Pichon studied violin, piano, and voice in Paris. Initially active as a singer under Jordi Savall, Gustav Leonhardt, and Ton Koopman, he founded the ensemble Pygmalion in 2006, uniting choir and period instruments in innovative projects spanning Bach to Romantic repertoire. Pichon has conducted at major venues and festivals including the Philharmonie de Paris, BBC Proms, Aix-en-Provence Festival, and Salzburg Festival, collaborating with leading stage directors. He also created Bordeaux’s “Pulsations” festival in 2020. His acclaimed recordings with Pygmalion on harmonia mundi include works by Bach, Mozart, Monteverdi, Schubert, and Brahms.

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