Bernd Alois Zimmermann: Ecclesiastical Action (Ich wandte mich und sah an alles Unrecht das geschah unter der Sonne) - oratorio for 2 narrators, bass & orchestra
(semi-staged)
Interval
Johannes Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem

An evening of choral contrasts as Zimmermann's oratorio, a hard-hitting prophecy of loss and emptiness, stands in total contrast to the hopeful humanity of Brahms' German Requiem.

Five days after completing his 'ecclesiastical action' And Turning Then, I Saw There Great Injustice That is Done Under the Heavens, Bernd Alois Zimmermann took his own life. His oratorio on passages from Ecclesiastes and Dostoevsky is a stark piece of performance art inextricably connected to the Fluxus school of late 1960s Germany.

It stands in utter contrast to the hopeful humanity of Brahms' German Requiem, and Brahms' glowing messages of brotherhood and consolation will feel renewed by Zimmermann's urgent challenge.

The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, post concert - Barlines. Artists involved in the performance discuss the evening's programme. Free

Performers

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Vladimir Jurowski conductor
Miah Persson soprano
Dietrich Henschel bass-baritone
speaker to be announced
speaker 2 to be announced
Annabel Arden director
London Philharmonic Choir

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