Preparation process and sections about the work from the program notes::

Brahms, German Requiem Project

Members of Ankara Polyphonic Chorus, Ankara Vokal, Muzaffer Arkan Girls Chorus, MÜZED Muammer Sun Chorus and Turkish Association of Polyphonic Choruses – Association Chorus, as well as all the members of Ertuğrul Oğuz Fırat Chorus and some members of a variety of choruses in Ankara came together in December 2014 and a total of 70 members initiated the SFK Brahms Project. Rehearsals which were scheduled once a week at the beginning became more frequent in April and the work was prepared after about 30 rehearsals. 

In March 2015, Boğaziçi Jazz Chorus (BCK) joined the project. In coordination with the Ankara group, the chorus worked fervently on the piece under the guidance of their choirmaster Masis Aram Gözbek in Istanbul. Besides their regular concerts. BCK practiced the work and completed rehearsals by early May. On May 9, all the members met in Ankara and had their first joint rehearsal under the baton of maestro Antonio Pirolli.  Members from other cities, as well as a member of Germany's Berliner Cappella Chorus joined SFK in the process. As members of the SFK Brahms Project, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to The administration of Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory, who offered Saygun Philharmonic Chorus the opportunity to practice. Dagmar Aman, a retired educator from Goethe Institute, who trained the chorus in the German pronunciation of the  work, and Franka Weber, who also supported the chorus  in pronunciation, Ezgi Göktürk and llgın Uysal, students of the piano division of Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory, who helped the chorus by playing the piano accompaniments in the rehearsals over the year, and Pianist Kaan Yüksel who played the accompaniments in the general rehearsals at the end of the year.

Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)

Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op.45

Traditionally, whenever the Roman Catholic Church assumed more political power, some dissenting voices accused it of degeneration. As the German theologian Martin Luther nailed his Ninety—Fives Theses on the door of Wittenberg Castle’s Church on 31 October 1517, these dissenting opinions came together to form the movement called Reformation.

Luther’s theses are based on the idea that the only  mediator between the God and humans should be the Bible. Accordingly, in order to make sure that the Bible is understood by broad masses. Luther translated it into German and  gave church rituals a German language—based structure.  The spread and success of such initiatives and the public acceptance they won can be considered factors contributing to the emergence of nationalism in Europe. 

The reformation movement initiated by Luther brought about significant changes in music, too. Lutheran churches used monophonic Germanic melodies called chorales instead of the Latin hymns of Catholic churches. Hence, a new musical tradition was established in the regions of Germany where Protestantism was adopted. Preserved over time, this tradition lived its golden age with Johann Sebastian Bach in the 18th century.

In the last quarter of the 18th century when theories of enlightenment spread widely and came to be the dominant political power, Viennese classicism achieved growing prominence in music. Among the major representatives of this period were Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, composers who focused on the abstract form in the non-nationalist, monarchic and cosmopolitan environment of Catholic Vienna. Starting in the early 19'“ century, a tumultuous period marked with nationalism/republicanism movements, music adopted a language-based method. in the context of literature and philosophy, and distanced itself from classicism.

Having dissociated itself from Austria after the fall of Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Germany took the lead in these initiatives. However, in this atmosphere where religion was left outside the social and political arena. choral Lutheran music cannot be claimed to hold a central place. The center of the 19th century German music was occupied by romanticism. which focused on the relationship between language and music.

Towards the end of the 19'“ century. European music was based upon the dispute going on in the German-speaking regions. On one side were the nationalists/progressives structuring their music on language and on the other  side were conservatives who remained loyal to Viennese classicism. The major composer representing the latter was Johannes Brahms.

Brahms' music in the period was labeled as conservative, in relation to Wagner's progressiveness. However. examining the progressive features in his music. the succeeding generations attracted attention to his originality. The major innovation in Brahms' music was his replacement of theme. the cornerstone of the classical structure. with texture. He conceived this idea through his lengthy work on Renaissance music.

The fact that Brahms wrote a Requiem. one of the most deep-rooted genres of the Catholic tradition. despite being  a Protestant composer can be attributed to his intense involvement in Renaissance and its traditions. Misso, a representation of the last supper of Jesus. is a critical part  of Catholic rituals. A misso performed after death is called a Requiem. The composer started working on this piece in 1865, following the death of his mother. To strike a balance between his commitment to Viennese classicism and Catholic liturgical music history and his Protestant identity, he chose the texts he used from the Lutheran Bible.

The first three movements of the Requiem were performed in Vienna in 1867 and found awkward in this city with a deep-rooted Catholic culture. The performance of the work including six movements at the Bremen Cathedral in1868 achieved phenomenal success. Then, with the addition of the seventh movement, Requiem became one of the most popular works of the religious repertoire.

Brahms deferred writing a symphony. Although he had started working on his first symphony in the years when he wrote Requiem, he could finish it in 1876. Written before this symphony. Requiem appears as a seminal work where the composer skillfully brought together the textural quality of Renaissance music, strong forms of expression that Lutheran chorai music tradition put forward through German language, and the motif transformation and advanced harmony understanding of his period. Melting in textures. melodies form a powerful wholeness and generate spiritual enthusiasm with unflagging energy.  

Assist.Prof. Onur Türkmen