Luminosa will perform the mighty Brahms Requiem in the Great Hall of the Farnham Maltings on November 27 at 6pm.

The Alton-based choir is led by artistic director and conductor Rebekah Abbott. Her vision for the performance will be of sustained pure, clear and radiant quality.

This is a work of massive structure, refined texture and gigantic collective sound which will resound powerfully in the acoustic of the Maltings.

Also known as ‘A German Requiem’, this 1868 work is Brahms’ famous non-Catholic requiem, a majestic, non-liturgical work setting sacred texts, including passages assembled by Brahms himself, from the Lutheran bible, both old and new testaments.

Traditionally a mass for the dead, this requiem is more a mass for the living, especially composed as a comfort for those left behind. In addition, Brahms’ seminal work is striking for its choice of secular text, written in German, rather than the usual Latin. This makes it a particularly accessible requiem.

The piece also breaks from tradition in another significant way. While most requiem masses focus on the idea of damnation and Christ’s suffering and death for our sins, Brahms’ Requiem pours light on redemption and the possibility of our salvation: a trajectory from suffering to acceptance. This is a broader humanist message.

With scoring for one piano and four hands, the interplay of pianists Adam Blosse and Valentina Seferinova will be exciting to watch and hear.

The text and choral intensity will be at the heart of the concert, with solo performances from soprano Ella de Jongh and baritone Joe Chalmers, and the piano as an arresting percussive element in support. The pianists will also perform Debussy’s 1889 Petite Suite.

For tickets, priced £15 (under-12s £5), visit www.luminosamusic.com