Into the Light

It took Brahms no less than 14 years to complete his First Symphony; he kept revising, postponing, and doubting – mainly himself. »I will never compose a symphony. You have no idea how we feel when we continuously hear such a giant marching behind us«, wrote the composer to the conductor Hermann Levi. The giant being Ludwig van Beethoven, whom Brahms revered as a role model, but whose genius intimidated and inhibited him in his own creative work. Ultimately, however, everything turned out for the best, and his Symphony No. 1 is one of the most brilliant masterworks in music history. Andrés Orozco-Estrada continues the grand tradition of the Gürzenich Orchestra, which has always been closely associated with Brahms’ symphonic output. Vienna’s Singverein, one of the world’s leading concert choruses, joins the orchestra in one of Brahms’ most touching choral compositions.

Unlike Brahms, Leonard Bernstein was not given to self-doubt: a towering, epochal figure of strength as a composer and conductor, he was always good for surprises and an incessant flow of creativity. His Chichester Psalms for boy soprano, mixed chorus and huge orchestra build a virtuosic bridge between Jewish musical tradition and »classical« western music of the 20th century, an impulsive and sweeping celebration of peace.