The worlds of gods and men are separated by a vast chasm. This was an idea that fascinated Goethe, Wagner and Hölderlin. The latter was particularly pessimistic about man's role: to him, fate was nothing more than ceaseless drifting, a blind struggle. Brahms encountered Hölderlin's poem Hyperions Schicksalslied (Hyperion's Song of Fate) in his mid thirties, immediately recognising the potential for a cantata in the text. However, he turned Hölderlin's endgame on its head: the worlds of men... and the gods do intersect, or how would the earthly mother mourn the death of the godly boy?
The mourning of a mother could not have been captured more profoundly and beautifully than in Stabat Mater. This wonderful medieval hymn is one of the texts most frequently set to music, moving almost 600 composers to write musical interpretations. Dvořák's oratorio is a monumental piece of work comprising ten movements performed by soloists, a mixed choir and a full orchestra. Music historians believe Dvořák to have been influenced by such great compositions as Brahms's German Requiem, Verdi's Requiem and Liszt's Christus oratorio. It is worth noting that Church music in the Romantic age - particularly that of Brahms and Dvořák - was not only a personal pronouncement of faith, but also an opportunity to reflect on music history. The past as generally depicted by Brahms and Dvořák is a golden age that, if it cannot be brought back, should be given the fondest possible farewell. It is perhaps precisely this musical gesture that makes the dignity of Schicksalslied and Stabat Mater so close and so human.
Presented by: MR Music Groups
Parking information
We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.
Safe ticket purchase
Dear Visitors, please note that only tickets purchased from the Müpa website and official ticket offices are guaranteed to be valid. To avoid possible inconvenience, we suggest buying tickets to our performances and concerts via the mupa.hu website, the Interticket national network (jegy.hu) or at our official ticket offices.