Birmingham Bach Choir: Beautiful Brahms

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Sat 24 Jun 2023 - Sat 01 Jul 2023

Having recently devoted concerts to JS Bach and Sergei Rachmaninoff , Birmingham Bach Choir now turn its attention to the work of another great classical composer, Johannes Brahms .

An evening of stirring and powerful music, the appropriately titled Beautiful Brahms visits St Mary Magdalene Church in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, on June 24, 2023, and Birmingham's CBSO Centre on July 1, 2023.



Featuring two sets of religious motets alongside several secular pieces, the selected works are regarded as some of the composer’s most hauntingly memorable choral compositions. Born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1833, Brahms was an accomplished pianist and a leading composer of the Romantic era, penning symphonies, chamber pieces, piano works and more. Among his choral compositions are Fest und Gedenksprüche (Festival and Commemoration Sentences), a cycle of three motets which, though biblical, also relate to the late-19th century unification of Germany; Drei Quartette op.64 (Three Quartets), which continues to touch on the theme of home; and the nostalgic and complex Fünf Gesänge.

One of classical music’s towering ‘Three Bs’ (alongside Bach and Beethoven), Brahms died in Vienna, Austria, in April 1897. He left behind a large body of work filled with variety, subtlety and power that ranges from sweeping symphonies to simpler songs.



As one of the UK’s leading large chamber choirs, Birmingham Bach Choir has been contributing to the musical life of the West Midlands since 1919, making it one of the longest-established musical groups in the area. Although the main focus is the Baroque period (especially JS Bach), the choir performs music spanning 600 years, including 20th and 21st-century works, and has premiered many new choral works.

The 2022-2023 Season marks Conductor Paul Spicer’s 30th anniversary with the choir. Highlights of the season so far have included the first West Midlands performance of Rachmaninoff’s Liturgy of St John Chrysostom in Liturgical Slavonic in living memory.



Paul Spicer (pictured above) says: "Brahms is one of the best-loved composers of the 19th century. His wonderfully melodic music draws you in at every point and connects on the deepest levels of our humanity.

"Featuring a wide-ranging programme that demonstrates the breadth of Brahms’ choral output – both sacred and secular, accompanied and unaccompanied – these will be memorable concerts and a rare opportunity to immerse ourselves in music which enriches the soul and warms the heart."



Birmingham Bach Choir: Beautiful Brahms

Saturday June 24, 2023: St Mary Magdalene, East Castle Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire WV16 4AL. Tickets £20-£12.

Saturday July 1, 2023: CBSO Centre, Berkley Street. Birmingham B1 2LF. Tickets £20-£12

Email: [email protected]

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