A Brief Escape from Everyday Life with Brahms’ Requiem in a Breathtaking Summer Concert
With Brahms’ A German Requiem, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Netherlands Radio Choir presented a breathtaking summer concert at the Concertgebouw. Every detail could be fully experienced.
“Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted,” are the opening words of the Requiem. When an orchestra introduces the deep register with such atmosphere before the choir’s first words are heard, a successful performance is almost guaranteed. And indeed, conductor Risto Joost had a clear artistic vision that unfolded gradually and without haste. Truly without haste. As a result, every detail could be fully appreciated.
Then came the undisputed highlight: the penultimate movement, elevated by the transparent, richly resonant sound of the orchestra and the tremendous energy of the choir. As mentioned earlier, just before the final applause, the audience briefly lost all sense of the here and now. That was, of course, thanks to Brahms—but also to the outstanding vocal soloists.
Soprano Sofia Fomina and baritone Raoul Steffani succeeded in sounding both noble and restrained in this deeply moving masterpiece.
Het Parool
Frederike Berntsen
8 July 2026