Friede auf Erden / Peace on Earth

The message of a poem by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer inspired Arnold Schönberg to write »Friede auf Erden« (Peace on Earth). The a-cappella work is a plea for peace, and the theme is nothing less than world history since the birth of Christ. War may prevail on Earth, but humanity is holding on to its belief in peace and justice. At the end, the work provides the hopeful prospect of world peace in future. With its moving message and intense sounds, the piece has always captivated audiences.

With the oratorio fragment »Christus«, the programme also features a rarely performed work by Felix Mendelssohn. The composer’s unexpected death at the age of 38 meant that his third oratorio, which was originally to be called »Erde, Hölle und Himmel« (Earth, Heaven and Hell), was never finished. Only in the case of two passages, which deal with Christ’s birth and the Passion, were Mendelssohn’s notes extensive enough to allow them to be published.