Performances: Jan 22-24

The Washington Chorus joins Gianandrea Noseda and the NSO for three choral masterpieces by Brahms. Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) and Gesang der Parzen (Song of the Fates) grapple with fate’s inescapable hand—one offering celestial consolation, the other a foreboding omen. Nänie, named for the Roman goddess, is a powerful requiem set to the poem by Friedrich von Schiller. These mesmeric choral works set the stage for a visceral finale: Schumann’s Symphony No. 2.