Johannes Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem Op. 45, performed by the WDR Symphony Orchestra, WDR Radio Choir, NDR Vokalensemble and soloists Christiane Karg and Andrè Schuen under the baton of Cristian Măcelaru. Recorded live on 02.03.2024 in the Kölner Philharmonie.
Johannes Brahms - A German Requiem Op. 45
‌00:00:00 I. Selig sind, die da Leid tragen
00:10:33 II. Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras
00:25:19 III. Herr, lehre doch mich, dass ein Ende mit mir haben muss
00:35:02 IV. Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen
00:40:25 V. Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit
00:47:41 VI. Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt
00:58:54 VII. Selig sind die Toten
Christiane Karg, soprano
Andrè Schuen, baritone
NDR Vocal Ensemble
WDR Radio Choir
WDR Symphony Orchestra
Cristian Măcelaru, conductor
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Introduction to the work:
Before he conquered the concert hall with his symphonies, Johannes Brahms made a name for himself as a choral conductor. In his home town of Hamburg, in Detmold and Vienna, he conducted vocal ensembles and enriched the repertoire with his own music. The "German Requiem" is his most extensive choral work and a milestone in his artistic development. The idea for it dates back to the early 1850s. It was then that Brahms met Robert Schumann, who was working as music director in Düsseldorf and became the most helpful mentor he could have wished for. In his famous essay "Neue Bahnen", Schumann praised the little-known Brahms as the hope of the younger generation. There was much talk of future projects, apparently including the conception of a German-language requiem mass. This is why the title "Deutsches Requiem" also appears in Schumann's sketchbooks. Perhaps Schumann's death in 1856 was the first trigger for Brahms to think about such a work.
However, it was only after the death of his mother on February 2, 1865 that Brahms turned his full attention to this requiem. The following year, he initially composed parts one to four and six to seven for choir, baritone solo and orchestra. It is quite possible that the fallen soldiers of the German-Prussian War also influenced the work. Brahms unconventionally combined text passages from the Old and New Testaments. In doing so, the Protestant turned away from the Latin mass for the dead often set to music by the Catholic Church. Brahms did not see his choral work as sacred at all, but rather as a personal confrontation with death and transience.
After a preliminary presentation of the first three movements in the Vienna Hofburg, the official premiere took place on Good Friday, April 10, 1868 in Bremen's St. Petri Cathedral. Conducted by the 34-year-old Brahms, it was a triumphant success. At the time, the work consisted of the six movements mentioned above. Brahms only composed a seventh movement after the premiere. It is the soprano solo with chorus "Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit", placed in fifth position. The subsequent inclusion was not only for artistic reasons: As a reference to the redeeming death of Jesus, a foreign aria with a female voice was often inserted at this point in early church performances, usually "Ich weiß, dass mein Erlöser lebet" from George Frideric Handel's "Messiah". Brahms put an end to this tradition by adding his own soprano solo. It was not until the Leipzig premiere on February 18, 1869 in the Gewandhaus under Kapellmeister Carl Reinecke that the "German Requiem" was presented in the seven-movement version we know today.
Early praise came from a friend, the pianist and composer Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann's widow. After seeing the piano reduction, she wrote to Brahms: "But I must tell you that I am completely filled with your Requiem, it is a very powerful piece, touches the whole person in a way that few others can. The profound seriousness, combined with all the magic of poetry, has a wonderful, shattering and soothing effect." The "German Requiem" mixes dramatically stirring passages with contemplative moments that offer hope and consolation. The choral movements, sometimes ethereal, sometimes striding in a funeral march rhythm, are cleverly balanced with the vocal solos. Choir and orchestra form an inseparable unit. Only the two together create the special mood of this music; just listen to the choral voices caressed by the sound of the harp at the very end. Despite stylistic references to Baroque models such as Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach, Brahms succeeded in creating one of the most modern choral works of his time. The acceptance of suffering is preached quite unsentimentally.
Text: Matthias Corvin