The Kansas City Symphony will explore themes of remembrance, faith and Jewish identity in its upcoming performances of "Brahms' German Requiem," Nov. 20-22, under the direction of Music Director Matthias Pintscher.

The program features Johannes Brahms' monumental choral work alongside Arnold Schoenberg's "A Survivor from Warsaw," a powerful tribute to Holocaust victims, and compositions by contemporary Austrian-Jewish composer Olga Neuwirth. The program also includes a spoken-word performance by Jewish actor Joshua Malina.

Brahms composed his "German Requiem" following the deaths of loved ones, including his mother. Rather than using the traditional Latin text of the Requiem Mass, Brahms drew from the German-language Luther Bible, creating a work focused not on the souls of the departed but on offering comfort to the living. He reportedly considered calling it "A Human Requiem."

The program's Jewish connections are particularly evident in Schoenberg's "A Survivor from Warsaw." Although Schoenberg converted to Lutheranism as a young man, his Jewish heritage remained central to his identity and influenced his work. He formally returned to Judaism in 1933, shortly before emigrating to the United States to escape the rise of Nazism.

Following World War II, Schoenberg was approached by Russian Jewish choreographer Corinne Chochem about creating a tribute to Holocaust victims. Schoenberg ultimately wrote the text himself, drawing on accounts of Jews defiantly singing as they were marched to the gas chambers.

The piece is narrated in English, with German dialogue from the soldiers. It concludes with a men's chorus singing the Shema Yisrael, a traditional Jewish prayer drawn from Deuteronomy 6.

Schoenberg later explained that the composition was intended as a warning to Jews never to forget what had happened. He was particularly moved by the story's depiction of people who, even in the face of death, remembered and reclaimed their Jewish identity.

The concert will also feature the work of contemporary Austrian-Jewish composer Olga Neuwirth. The Symphony performed two of her compositions, "Tombeau I" and "Dreydl," during its European tour in Berlin in August 2026.

Tickets are available at kcsymphony.org.