Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem (1996)

This is a rather brisk reading of Brahms' masterpiece, the most ambitious work in his output and one of the greatest compositions of its type. Though Herreweghe's tempos often pushed the music to its limits here (except for the first section), the performance never actually sounded fast, or at least not offensively fast. In fact, it challenges the Levine/RCA effort.Funny, but both recordings are rather opposites: Levine's is weighty and glorious, where Herreweghe's is ecstatic and animated. The former has the better ... Read More

This is a rather brisk reading of Brahms' masterpiece, the most ambitious work in his output and one of the greatest compositions of its type. Though Herreweghe's tempos often pushed the music to its limits here (except for the first section), the performance never actually sounded fast, or at least not offensively fast. In fact, it challenges the Levine/RCA effort.Funny, but both recordings are rather opposites: Levine's is weighty and glorious, where Herreweghe's is ecstatic and animated. The former has the better soloists in Kathleen Battle and Håkan Hagegård, and the better supporting forces in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, advantages that would seem to tilt the scales in favor of the RCA. But those seeming pluses can be deceptive. In fact, Herreweghe may actually have a superior interpretation, perhaps hitting closer to the spirit of the Requiem as Brahms conceived it: the composer's work aims toward the human side of the issue, depicting mourning, all right, but offering consolation... Read Less

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2008, Harmonia Mundi UPC: 794881852024 CD See All from $4.51