Description

Brahms composed his Triumphlied, an eight-part choral work with solo baritone and orchestra, as a direct response to the German victory in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 and the subsequent founding of the German Empire. Similar to his German Requiem completed shortly before, Brahms himself selected the text from the Bible, specifically Chapter 19 of the Book of Revelations. Despite the somewhat melodramatic tone of the composition and its nationalistic origins, the Triumphlied has been rarely performed in concert halls in recent years. In contrast to overly-patriotic occasional works like Richard Wagner's Kaisermarsch, the Triumphlied is a musically rich composition that exemplifies "true Brahms." This scholarly study edition is based on the Brahms Complete Edition (HN 6030), ensuring the highest level of accuracy. Of particular interest is the appendix, which features an exciting new discovery - a previously unknown early version of the first movement in C major, rediscovered in 2012 in Bremen.