Toonkunst Gouda presents an evening of choral music of great intensity and beauty. Johannes Brahms, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Igor Stravinsky each offer, in their own way, music that moves the soul—from serene sounds to overwhelming power. A concert that leaves you speechless and lingers in your memory. For lovers of music that blends depth and emotion.
The following pieces by these three composers will be performed:
Johannes Brahms: " Schicksalslied"
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Selections from the Vespers
Igor Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
First, you can enjoy Brahms’s*Schicksalslied*, a short, powerful composition whose text was originally part of the novel *Hyperion* by the early-Romantic German writer Friedrich Hölderlin. In two stanzas, the poem contrasts the bliss of the gods with the suffering of humanity.
Two instrumental intermezzos, performed by pianists Matthijs van Wijhe and Gulmira Issabekova, bridge the music of Brahms and Rachmaninoff.
Toonkunst then performs several movements from Rachmaninoff’s Vespers. The actual title, *All-Night Vigil*, refers to the traditional Russian Orthodox nightly church service that precedes the Sunday liturgy. It is a prayer vigil that combines the hours of Vespers, Matins, and Lauds. The composer draws heavily on ancient melodies from the Russian Orthodox tradition and uses a liturgical text in Church Slavonic, an archaic language used in a manner similar to Church Latin in the Roman Catholic liturgy.
After the intermission, Igor Stravinsky’s *Psalm Symphony* will be performed . This work was composed in 1930 for choir and orchestra, but Toonkunst Gouda will perform it in the arrangement for four-hand piano created by Dmitri Shostakovich. The composition consists of three Psalms: Part I is Psalm 38:13–14, Part II is Psalm 39:1–4, and Part III is Psalm 150, the Psalm that lists so many musical instruments with which God’s praise is to be sung. Throughout the composition, strong rhythmic and dynamic contrasts play an important role, and it is striking that the Alleluia is not, as is customary, an exuberant finale, but rather a whispering conclusion.
And with that, this special concert comes to a close—a concert in which you can be inspired by spiritual music that aims to touch the soul of both performers and audience alike.
You are cordially invited to join us for this wonderful evening!
Conductor: Nieks Kuijers
Accompanists: GulmiraIssabekova and Matthijs van Wijhe, piano
Location: St. Joseph Church, Aalberseplein, Gouda.
When: October 31 , 2026, at 8:00 p.m.
Prices: Adults €29.50; CJP €20
Information
Aalberseplein 2, Gouda
End: 21:00p.m.
