Leeds Minster
Friday 3 April at 7.00pm
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- Welcome
- Practical information
- If you’re new to classical music concerts…
- Overview
- About tonight’s music – text, translation and notes
- Tonight’s artists
Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem
with songs by Bruckner, Brahms and Mendelssohn
Helen Winter soprano
Quentin Brown baritone
National Festival Orchestra
Sally Robinson leader
St Peter’s Singers
Alexander Woodrow conductor
We would like to thank Canon Paul Maybury, Rector, and the Churchwardens of Leeds Minster for their support for St Peter’s Singers
Welcome
Welcome to St Peter’s Singers’ performance of Johannes Brahms’ masterpiece, A German Requiem, together with four Motets by Brahms and his contemporaries Mendelssohn and Bruckner. Leeds Minster provides a beautiful and atmospheric setting in which to experience this music, and we are delighted to share it with you this evening.
Good Friday is the day in the Church’s year when it remembers the betrayal and abandonment of Christ by his disciples, and his death by Roman crucifixion, yet paradoxically finds in these dark events a reason to hope. We trust you enjoy this programme of sacred music carefully chosen for the occasion. We are grateful to the Rector and Churchwardens for making the Minster available on this solemn day.
Following the death of his beloved mother, Brahms set out to compose a ‘Humanist Requiem’ to console the living who mourn, rather than pray for the dying (as is the case in the traditional Roman Catholic Requiem Mass). He chose Biblical texts which proclaim consolation and hope, and set them to beautiful melodies and stirring harmonies. The result was a masterpiece that confirmed his breakthrough as a composer of the greatest stature.
The music is sung in German, and an English translation is provided with the notes below to help you follow the text if you wish.
We invite you to listen in the way that feels most engaging to you — whether following the text, observing the performers, or simply letting the music fill the space around you.
Some practical information
There will be a short interval of 10 minutes after the four Motets, during which the performing space will be reconfigured for the orchestra.
We hope very much that you enjoy the music you hear today. If you do, and you wish to applaud, that will be very welcome after any of the Motets, and at the end of the Requiem.
Toilets can be found in the cafe, which is the room immediately on your right as you entered the church. You can reach it from the porch or from the back right corner of the main part of the church.
We welcome any comments or feedback you may wish to make after the concert. Please use our contact form, or fill in a paper feedback form at the concert.
Please note that audio and video recording of this concert is not permitted.
If you’re new to classical concerts…
we’re really glad you’re here! Classical concerts can feel a little different if you haven’t been to many before. They’re calmer, more spacious, and built around close listening rather than spectacle. You don’t need any background knowledge to enjoy them. Just settle in, let the sound unfold, and take the experience at your own pace.
Fun fact: We call this a “classical” concert, but none of tonight’s music is from the Classical period (1750–1830, the era of Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn). “Classical” has simply become a convenient umbrella term for centuries of Western art music, even though the styles within it vary hugely.
Because this is a Good Friday concert, the overall mood is more reflective than usual. You may notice longer quiet moments and a sense of stillness between pieces, which is part of the atmosphere of the day.
What to expect: Tonight’s programme features German choral music from the Romantic period (1830–1900), known for long lines, warm harmonies and a slow‑growing sense of atmosphere. The Motets by Bruckner, Mendelssohn and Brahms are reflective rather than dramatic, and many listeners find they’re most rewarding when you simply sit back and let the sound surround you.
The second half is devoted to Brahms’ German Requiem, the heart of the evening. Despite the title, it isn’t a traditional Requiem and doesn’t follow the Latin Mass for the dead (like the famous Mozart Requiem!). Brahms chose his own biblical texts and shaped the work as a message of comfort for the living. The music moves through grief, reassurance and light, with broad, expressive movements that invite relaxed, attentive listening. Many people find it unexpectedly uplifting, even on a first hearing.
Not sure when to clap? Just follow the room, no pressure to get it “right”.
You can find out more about what to expect here.
In case this is your first encounter with this kind of music, we hope it opens a door and we’d love to hear what you made of it afterwards. Now sit back and enjoy the performance!
Programme
(For translations please see below)
Interval of 10 minutes
| Ein deutsches Requiem | Johannes Brahms (1833-97) |
Helen Winter soprano
Quentin Brown bass-baritone
St Peter’s Singers
National Festival Orchestra
Sally Robinson leader
Alexander Woodrow conductor
About tonight’s music – text, translations and notes
Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen?
Brahms composed this piece in the Motet form with four movements or sections including a final Chorale, as was used by Bach, who he greatly admired. He chose the text himself from the Lutheran Bible, while the Chorale text was written by Martin Luther. The four movements are marked as follows:
- Langsam und ausdrucksvoll – Slow and expressive
- Wenig bewegter – More calmly
- Langsam und sanft – Slow and soft, Im vorigen Zeitmas – In the previous tempo (i.e. movement II)
- Choral – Chorale
The second movement, which is constructed in Canonic form, begins with the F-A-Bb motif that is prominent in the German Requiem. This motif reappears towards the end of the third movement, with the voices entering more and more closely after each other in stretto fashion. The Chorale is another nod to Bach, within a long tradition of Lutheran church music.
Text and translation
| I Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen, und das Leben den betrübten Herzen, die des Todes warten und kommt nicht, und grüben ihn wohl aus dem Verborgenen, die sich fast freuen und sind fröhlich, dass sie das Grab bekommen, und dem Manne, des Weg verborgen ist, und Gott vor ihm denselben bedecket? | Why is the light bestowed on those who toil, And life on hearts weighed down with grief, Who wait for death, and yet it comes not, Who’d dig it out from hidden places; Who almost joy and gladness feel To think the grave is theirs at last; And on the man whose path is veiled, Whose way the Lord has covered from him? Book of Job 3:20-23 |
| II Lasset uns unser Herz samt den Händen aufheben zu Gott im Himmel. | Let us lift up our hearts with our hands together, Unto God in heaven. Lamentations 3:41 |
| III Siehe, wir preisen selig, die erduldet haben. Die Geduld Hiob habt ihr gehöret, und das Ende des Herrn habt ihr gesehen; denn der Herr ist barmherzig und ein Erbarmer. | Behold, we call them blessed Who have endured; You have heard the patience of Job, And you have seen the end the Lord has bestowed upon you; For the Lord is full of mercy, And a giver of compassion. Letter of James 5:11 |
| IV Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, in Gottes Willen, Getrost ist mir mein Herz und Sinn, sanft und stille. Wie Gott mir verheißen hat: der Tod ist mir Schlaf worden. | In peace and joy I journey forth, as God has willed it; My heart and mind are comforted, soft and quiet, As God has promised me: death has become my sleep. Martin Luther |
Geistliches Lied
A setting of an ode by the 17th-century German poet Paul Flemming. It takes the musical form of a double Canon at the ninth – tenors follow the sopranos and basses follow the altos, all singing the same tune, each pair at the interval of a ninth apart, with interludes for the instrumental accompaniment.
Text and translation
| Lass dich nur nichts nicht dauren mit Trauren, sei stille, wie Gott es fügt, so sei vergnügt mein Wille! | Do not be sorrowful or regretful; Be calm, as God has ordained, and thus my will shall be content |
| Was willst du heute sorgen auf morgen? Der Eine steht allem für, der gibt auch dir das Deine. | What do you want to worry about from day to day? There is One who stands above all who gives you what is yours. |
| Sei nur in allem Handel ohn Wandel, steh feste, was Gott beschleusst, das ist und heisst das Beste. Amen. | Only be steadfast in all you do, stand firm; what God has decided, that is and must be the best. Amen. |
Verleih uns Frieden
A setting of a mediaeval Antiphon, translated from Latin into German by Martin Luther and composed by Mendelssohn after a visit to the Vatican.
Text and translation
| Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich, Herr Gott, zu unsern Zeiten. Es ist doch ja kein andrer nicht, der für uns könnte streiten, denn du, unser Gott, alleine. | Mercifully grant us peace, Lord God, in our times. For there is no other Who would fight for us But you alone, our God. |
Christus factus est pro nobis
Bruckner selected the text of the Gradual for Maundy Thursday for this short Motet – the Gradual is part of the Catholic Mass, Lutheran Divine Service and other Christian traditions. It is usually a setting of two biblical verses, in this case from St Paul’s letter to the Philippians. This letter is one of the earliest documents in the New Testament and this text the beginning of a foundational passage that represents one of the earliest formulations of the first Christians’ emerging understanding of what the crucifixion of Jesus reveals about God.
Text and translation
| Christus factus est pro nobis Obediens usque ad mortem Mortem autem crucis Propter quod et Deus exaltavit illum: Et dedit illi nomen Quod est super omne nomen | For us Christ became Obedient unto death, Even to the death on the cross. Therefore God exalted him And gave him a name Which is above all names. |
Interval of ten minutes
Ein deutsches Requiem
In 1853 Robert Schumann wrote of the young composer Johannes Brahms “Whenever he will touch with his magic wand the masses of the chorus and orchestra ready to make the most of their power, we will be regaled with wondrous insights into the secrets of the world of spirits.” The prophecy was not realised for some years and it was after Schumann’s death that Brahms began to set sacred texts. He started the German Requiem in 1861 but it was not until after his beloved mother’s death in 1865 that he returned to the score. He was still working on it at the height of the Austro-Prussian War and it was first performed on Good Friday 1868, without the fifth movement which had not yet been composed. It was first heard in its entirety in February, 1869.
It is not a liturgical Requiem that speaks of the dead, but a setting of texts selected by Brahms himself from the Lutheran Bible. The texts were evidently meaningful to him following the deaths of his friend Schumann and his mother, together with political events in his home country. He called it a “Human Requiem” that spoke to the living of comfort and hope, whilst avoiding religious dogma. There is no narrative in the German Requiem, but there is a trajectory from sorrow to hope and acceptance. It is predominantly composed for voices and orchestra, with the soloists providing a different textural dimension, always accompanied by the choir and orchestra.
The German Requiem represents something of a breakthrough in Brahms’ career, announcing his arrival on the world stage. Here for the first time was evidence of his ability to command a large orchestra, along with his mastery of harmony and of forms such as Fugue and Chorale that he inherited from JS Bach. Much of the Requiem’s appeal lies not just in the soaring melodies but in the stirring Romantic harmonies which explore so many unexpected keys and elicit so many emotional responses.
We are deeply grateful to our talented and generous friend, John Longstaff, for compiling for our use a special performing edition of the German Requiem which allows us to perform the work with an orchestra – one that can fit into the Minster’s performing space – while taking advantage of the sounds offered by its superb Harrison and Harrison organ.
I
Selig sind, die da Leid tragen
Ziemlich langsam und mit Ausdruck – rather slow and with expression
The opening movement begins with the very Brahmsian rising third followed by a semitone (F-A-Bb) heard from the sopranos which sets the tone for a reflective and thoughtful interpretation of the words from the Sermon on the Mount. Unusually, the violins are silent for this movement.
Text and translation
| Selig sind, die da Leid tragen, denn sie sollen getröstet werden. Die mit Tränen säen, werden mit Freuden ernten. Sie gehen hin und weinen und tragen edlen Samen, und kommen mit Freuden und bringen ihre Garben. | Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4) May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. (Psalm 126:5,6) |
II
Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras
Langsam, marschmäßig – slow, march-like.
This begins like a funeral march in the dark key of B flat minor, reminding us of our human fragility, before exhorting us to be patient (here the music modulates to the relative key of G flat major). The movement returns to the funeral march before turning to B-flat major as the text reminds us that the Lord’s word remains forever. The movement finishes with a more triumphal Fugue, expressing the hope that the ransomed of the Lord will return.
Text and translation
| Denn alles Fleisch ist wie Gras und alle Herrlichkeit des Menschen wie des Grases Blumen. Das Gras ist verdorret und die Blume abgefallen. | All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls (Peter 1:24) |
| So seid nun geduldig, lieben Brüder, bis auf die Zukunft des Herrn. Siehe, ein Ackermann wartet auf die köstliche Frucht der Erde und ist geduldig darüber, bis er empfahe den Morgenregen und Abendregen. | Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. (James 5:7) |
| Aber des Herrn Wort bleibet in Ewigkeit. | But the word of the Lord endures forever. (Peter 1:25) |
| Die Erlöseten des Herrn werden wieder kommen, und gen Zion kommen mit Jauchzen; ewige Freude wird über ihrem Haupte sein; Freude und Wonne werden sie ergreifen und Schmerz und Seufzen wird weg müssen. | And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35:10) |
III
Herr, lehre doch mich
Andante moderato – a moderate walking pace.
The baritone solo appears for the first time in this movement in dialogue with the choir, expressing man’s need to hope in something bigger than himself and ending with the second, jubilant, Fugue, “the souls of the righteous are in the hands of the Lord”. A magnificent pedal D (a long single note, usually played on the pedal keyboard of the organ) can be heard throughout the whole Fugue.
Text and translation
| Herr, lehre doch mich, dass ein Ende mit mir haben muss, und mein Leben ein Ziel hat, und ich davon muss. Siehe, meine Tage sind einer Hand breit vor dir, und mein Leben ist wie nichts vor dir. Ach, wie gar nichts sind alle Menschen, die doch so sicher leben. Sie gehen daher wie ein Schemen, und machen ihnen viel vergebliche Unruhe; sie sammeln und wissen nicht wer es kriegen wird. Nun Herr, wess soll ich mich trösten? Ich hoffe auf dich. | Lord, let me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight. Surely everyone stands as a mere breath. Surely everyone goes about like a shadow. Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; they heap up and do not know who will gather. And now, O Lord, what comfort can I find? My hope is in you. (Psalm 39:4-7) |
| Der Gerechten Seelen sind in Gottes Hand und keine Qual rühret sie an. | But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. (Wisdom of Solomon 3:1) |
IV
Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen
Mäßig bewegt – moderately lively.
This more genial movement seems to look ahead to the Liebeslieder-Walzer – Love Song Waltzes – that Brahms composed shortly after the first performance of the Requiem. It is often used as an anthem in regular church services, as well as funerals.
Text and translation
| Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, Herr Zebaoth! Meine Seele verlanget und sehnet sich nach den Vorhöfen des Herrn; mein Leib und Seele freuen sich in dem lebendigen Gott. Wohl denen, die in deinem Hause wohnen, die loben dich immerdar. | How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. (Psalm 84:1,2,4) |
V
Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit
Marked Langsam – slow
The fifth movement was added to the Requiem after its first performance, and it is perhaps something of a reflection of Brahms’ state of mind after mother’s death; it speaks of comfort and trusting as a child trusts its mother. The soprano is accompanied by the choir. The key of G major is the first appearance of a brighter key with a sharp in its key signature, rather than flats.
| Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit; aber ich will euch wieder sehen und euer Herz soll sich freuen und eure Freude soll niemand von euch nehmen. | So you have pain now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. (John 16:22) |
| Sehet mich an: Ich habe eine kleine Zeit Mühe und Arbeit gehabt und habe großen Trost funden. Ich will euch trösten, wie Einen seine Mutter tröstet. | See with your own eyes that I have laboured but little and found for myself much serenity. (Ecclesiasticus 51:27) As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you. (Isaiah 6:13) |
Text and translation
VI
Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt
Andante – Vivace- Allegro – Walking tempo – fast – lively
Again the baritone and choir are in dialogue, reflecting on triumph over death – “Death is swallowed up in victory”. It finishes with another Fugue with the words “Lord, you are worthy…”
Text and translation
| Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt, sondern die zukünftige suchen wir. | For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. (Hebrews 13:14) |
| Siehe, ich sage euch ein Geheimnis: Wir werden nicht alle entschlafen, wir werden aber alle verwandelt werden; und dasselbige plötzlich, in einem Augenblick, zu der Zeit der letzten Posaune. | Look, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. |
| Dann wird erfüllet werden das Wort, das geschrieben steht: Der Tod ist verschlungen in den Sieg. Tod, wo ist dein Stachel? Hölle, wo ist dein Sieg? | Then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:51, 52,54,55) |
| Herr, du bist würdig zu nehmen Preis und Ehre und Kraft, denn du hast alle Dinge geschaffen, und durch deinen Willen haben sie das Wesen und sind geschaffen. | You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. (Revelation 4:11) |
VII
Selig sind die Toten
Feierlich – solemn
The Requiem reaches the end of the journey from sorrow to hope and acceptance in this final movement, including a section in the brighter key of A major (they may rest from their labours), and finishing in a very emphatic F major. Near the end Brahms returns to the rising third followed by a semitone motif of the opening movement, with the same text selig sind (blessed are).
Text and translation
| Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herrn sterben, von nun an. Ja, der Geist spricht, dass sie ruhen von ihrer Arbeit; denn ihre Werke folgen ihnen nach. | Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord. “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labours, for their deeds follow them.” (Revelation 14:13) |
Tonight’s artists
Helen Winter, soprano
Helen was born in Grantham into a highly musical family and went on to study at Trinity College of Music, London. Following her studies, she became a member of the BBC Singers, marking the start of a distinguished professional career.
She has a distinguished career in opera, appearing for three seasons at Holland Park Opera, as well as Scottish Opera, European Chamber Opera and the Buxton Festival. Her performances of the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Magic Flute have led to frequent invitations to perform the role.
Helen’s television and commercial work is wide-ranging, including appearances in numerous advertising campaigns, the ITV series Popstar to Operastar, and a starring role in Cameron Mackintosh’s West End production of The Sound of Music LIVE. She has recorded and released three solo albums.
Quentin Brown, bass-baritone
Quentin had the great fortune to be born to keen amateur singers and began his musical life as a boy chorister at Rochester Cathedral, which he describes as a life-changing experience.
After graduating he began a lifelong association with Leeds Minster, singing in both the Choir of Leeds Parish Church (as it then was) and St Peter’s Singers. As a member of the BBC Northern Singers he recorded frequently for BBC Radio 3 and toured abroad.
Quentin has appeared as soloist with many choral societies around the country, singing repertoire from Bach to Vaughan Williams. He took the baritone solos in the first ever recording of William Lloyd Webber’s The Saviour, made by St Peter’s Singers and the Choir of Leeds Minster, and released last year on the Priory label.
Alexander Woodrow conductor
Alex Woodrow is a musician of the highest quality, with a passion for choral and organ music. He has a strong record as both organist and choral director.
Born in York in 1986, Alex read music as Organ Scholar at Magdalene College, Cambridge, studying with Anne Page. He became Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at the age of 19, winning first prizes in all categories. He is a Fellow of Trinity College London and recipient of the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians.
Alex is a distinguished recitalist, and has regularly broadcast on BBC Radio and Television. He has performed in many of the major churches and cathedrals of the UK. York Minster, King’s College, Cambridge, and Westminster Abbey are among the prestigious venues where he has played.
Career
After graduating, Alex progressed to positions at Guildford Cathedral, St Albans Cathedral and Hexham Abbey. While at Hexham he directed the chamber choir Cappella Novocastriensis and founded his own early music ensemble Suspirans.
In 2011 Alex took up the position of Organist and Director of Music at Bradford Cathedral. At that time he was the youngest cathedral organist in the country. His tenure was distinguished by substantial restoration of the fortunes of the choral foundation at the cathedral, including the re-establishment of a boys choir and the nurture of many young musicians. After almost five years there, he moved on to be Head of Choral Music at Solihull School.
Alex returned to West Yorkshire in 2020 following his appointment as Organist and Director of Music at Leeds Minster. He was appointed Director of Music of St Peter’s Singers of Leeds in March 2021, and is delighted to be working with the choir.
