De profundis

The cantata »De profundis« was written in Vienna in 1936/37 as a work of remembrance and hope. Hans Gál, dismissed from his role as the director of Mainz Conservatory by the Nazis, composed it during a dark and depressing time. It was first performed in 1948; Gál dedicated the cantata to »remembrance of this time, its misery and its victims«.
Seventeenth-century texts about the Thirty Years’ War give a palpable voice to terror: want, destruction and human suffering seem strikingly current. The music unites grief and solace, resignation and hope.

Bachchor Heidelberg and Philharmonisches Orchester Heidelberg have enjoyed their close collaboration for many years, shaping this town’s music life. The 2026/27 concert season brings the dedicated amateur choir together with the orchestra for a particularly varied programme in four concerts, presenting a wide panorama of the fascinating range of sacred music.