Vox Luminis & Lionel Meunier

About the Event

Dive into the exquisite architecture of Brussels's Eglise Notre‐Dame de la Chapelle and experience a concert that promises to deepen your appreciation of classical music. The ‘Ein Deutsches Barockrequiem’ initiative, capped by a magnificent recording in 2023, originated from an interest in Johannes Brahms' Deutsches Requiem. Lionel Meunier and Vox Luminis explored the idea of reconstructing this requiem using 17th century compositions that shared Brahms' chosen texts. Consider, for example, the psalm Die mit Tränen säen, also composed by Christian Geist. The program interweaves polyphonic pieces in madrigal form, like Andreas Hammerschmidt's Ach wie gar nichts, with cantatas that feature instrumental backing. Uniquely, no Baroque counterpart exists for Brahms' fifth movement, yet Johann Hermann Schein's somber motet aptly fills this gap. This artistic journey also introduces Johann Philipp Förtsch, a promising composer from Hamburg who turned to medicine, forsaking his musical pursuits.