Beethoven Eroica

The stature of Cherubini's Requiem becomes clear when we consider that Beethoven wanted it played for his own funeral. Johannes Brahms admired the music so much that he adopted Cherubini's idea of omitting the high orchestral parts in the Kyrie in his German Requiem. When Lionel Sow combines this masterpiece of choral music with Beethoven's Third Symphony, he is also bringing to light the political divisions of the time: while Beethoven initially wanted to dedicate his "Eroica" to the revolutionary Napoleon, Cherubini's Requiem was written in memory of Louis XVI. Both works leave a deep impression.