Pianist

Building on the recent successes of the Festival Chorus we’re delighted to be presenting them for this special performance of Brahms‘ A German Requiem. This so-called “London” version of the Requiem was originally created in 1869 by the composer as a four-hand piano version of the complete work, incorporating voice and orchestra parts together for keyboard performance. It was not, therefore, simply a setting of the choral work with piano reduction of the orchestral parts, and will provide a powerful showcase for our excellent chorus.

EPSG:4326

Brahms’ A German Requiem

St Nicolas Church

Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time has assumed near-mythical status since its premiere 85 years ago at a prisoner-of-war camp, performed in freezing midwinter to hundreds of fellow inmates.

With the outbreak of World War II Messiaen had been drafted into the French army but was captured in 1940 and sent to the Stalag VIII-A camp near Görlitz. There he found himself imprisoned with three other professional musicians – a violinist, clarinettist and cellist – and began writing for the unusual ensemble circumstance had thrown together.

The piece was inspired by apocalyptic visions from the Book of Revelation, but its title was double-edged: it also represented the end of a clockwork, periodic musical time that had held sway for centuries.

Berkeley Ensemble with Libby Burgess, piano

Smith Square Hall

Rossini’s Petite Messe is one of the most joyful and uplifting sacred works in the entire repertoire composed by the Italian operatic genius after he finished writing for stage, and which he referred as “one of the sins of his old age”.

Pianist

Libby Burgess

Events

Past events

May 21, 2026

Brahms’ A German Requiem · Newbury Spring Festival

Apr 30, 2026

Berkeley Ensemble with Libby Burgess, piano · Sinfonia Smith Square

Future and recently performed repertoire

Piano in Quartet for the End of Time by Messiaen

Sinfonia Smith Square

Piano in A German Requiem by Brahms

Newbury Spring Festival

About

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