Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 (A German Requiem)

For too long a gap in the Brilliant Classics catalogue,we are happy to present a superb recording of Brahms’ sacred masterwork, Ein deutsches Requiem. Brahms’ Requiem, written in German and presenting bible texts selected by Brahms himself, was composed after the death of Brahms’ mother, a shattering experience for him. The dark aspects of Death are relieved by music of great tenderness and intimacy. Conducted by the great German conductor Herbert Kegel, and excellent soloists Mari-Anne Häggander and Siegfried Lorenz. Digital recording licensed from the Capriccio catalogue.

Including booklet notes and the sung texts.

One of the great choral works of the Western tradition, Brahms probably conceived his Ein deutsches Requiem – completed in 1868 – as a response to the passing of his mother as well as the tragic death of his close friend and mentor, Robert Schumann.The composition is the German’s largest in any medium, and one that was quick to enter the classical canon: first performed in 1869 to rave reviews, it is a masterpiece of technique and affect that continues to thrill both audiences and singers around the world. What makes Ein deutsches Requiem unique is Brahms’ unusual decision to compile the text himself; based on various passages of the Lutheran Bible, it’s not so much a requiem for the dead as one for the living – with the composer commenting that he could have happily exchanged the word ‘deutsches’ for ‘human’.

The work is cast in seven movements and is arrestingly performed by the Rundfunkchor/Sinfonie-Orchester Leipzig.

Featuring a soprano and baritone soloist, it takes as its musical basis two principal ideas, which, after initial statements, are subject to repeated development throughout the piece. From the second movement’s heavy funeral march rhythms to the pivotal fourth’s serene pastorale and the dramatically imposing nature of the sixth, Brahms touches on an array of emotions that reflect the arch-like nature of the composition. Like all great music, Ein deutsches Requiem contains a universal message that goes beyond the circumstances of the work’s conception, and which is beautifully communicated in this recording. Full of symphonic breadth and effectively responsible for confirming Brahms’ status as a composer of international repute, it’s a piece that deserves to be an essential part of any serious listener’s library.

Otto Klemperer was one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century along with Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter and Arturo Toscanini. His period in Cologne from 1954 to 1959 was considered to be one of the most fruitful and exciting of his career, and it was during this time that EMI’s classical producer Walter Legge tracked and signed him to the company following the departure of Herbert von Karajan.

His critically acclaimed recordings with the Philharmonia followed. This live studio recording from the WDR in Cologne has never been issued before. Klemperer’s conducting of Brahms’s Requiem, one of the cornerstones of the choral repertoire, achieves true greatness.

Gramophone Magazine said of his 1961 recording, ‘a conductor whose rugged feeling for the music pays colossal dividends’ sums up this 1956 account.

Both Elisabeth Grümmer (soprano) and Hermann Prey (baritone) were internationally renowned and highly respected.

The CD contains two interesting ‘extras’ – Mozart’s delightful Serenata notturna from 1954 and a rare rehearsal sequence of the Requiem, both issued for the first time.

WDR’s remastering is of very high quality aided by the excellent preservation of the original tapes.

Something new is always to be expected whenever Nikolaus Harnoncourt turns his attention to an important piece of music. In recent years he has been giving audiences a fresh view on some of the masterpieces of Romantic and late-Romantic music. His account of Brahms’ German Requiem is based on a thorough study of the composer’s ideas on how it should be performed. His is a sensitive interpretation that takes a completely new approach to the work. Technically and artistically, the new disc is a perfect record of the concert given in Vienna in December 2007, which was greeted enthusiastically by music press and audiences alike.

A high-profile line-up comprises the Arnold Schoenberg Choir, whose connection with Harnoncourt goes back more than thirty years, and the Vienna Philharmonic, one of the world’s greatest orchestras. The two solo vocal parts are ideally cast with soprano Genia Kühmeier and internationally-renowned baritone Thomas Hampson.

In 2009 Harnoncourt was honoured with the much-deserved Gramophone Lifetime Achievement Award.

“…Nikolaus Harnoncourt shows no sign of reining in his insatiable musical curiosity” The Guardian

“a tireless pioneer” The Observer