MÁV Symphony Orchestra - German requiem

29 May 2025, 07:00 pm.
Liszt Academy - Grand Hall
1061 Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 8.

In the first part of the MÁV Symphony Orchestra's programme, the Kodály Choir Debrecen performs choral works by renowned Hungarian contemporary composers. Máté Bella composed his piece O oriens for mixed choir in 2021, while Bence Kutrik's Puer natus was written for the opening concert of the 29th Béla Bartók International Choir Competition. In the continuation, one of the most prominent, multi-award-winning composers of the middle generation of today's Hungarian composers, Levente Gyöngyösi's choral work Dixit dominus will be performed, followed by the Kossuth and Ferenc Erkel Prize-winner György Orbán's Daemon irrepit callidus.

In the second part of the concert, Róbert Farkas will conduct Brahms' German Requiem, a seven-movement work in German, composed in 1866 to the verses of the Bible. What makes it special is that its genre is not really a mass, but rather an oratorio, since the composer himself composed the text from Luther's German Bible, in contrast to the Catholic requiem settings based on the Latin liturgy most often used by composers. This time, the two performers are soprano Polina Pasztircsák - who, after winning the Simándy József Singing Competition, continued her studies in Italy with Mirella Frenini, won 1st prize at the 2009 Geneva International Competition and has since become a sought-after singer worldwide - and baritone Holger Falk, an internationally acclaimed actor and opera singer. "Falk's creative ability is sensational", as reported by ZEIT and the Washington Post. The Kodály Choir Debrecen, under the direction of conductor Zoltán Kocsis-Holper, is Hungary's internationally renowned professional concert choir.