"A German Requiem" by Brahms DW 04/09/2020 Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 Robert Shaw and the Brahms Requiem | Chorus America A compromise for the premiere was achieved by including the aria I Know that My Redeemer Liveth from Handels Messiah. From the opening notes of this 1995 performance, we know that this will be a serious, dignified experience, characterised by a large-scale choral-orchestral sound and spacious, grand tempos. From there, he speculates, the piece grew gradually, a series of considered and rejected ideas. For Brahms work on the German Requiem was cathartic; he told friends upon its completion: "Now I am consoled. As Shaw pondered his own translation in 1999, Jessop assumes his motivation must have been the same as it was 40 years earlier when he created an English version of Bachs St. Matthew Passion. Beautifully balanced and richly recorded, he injects just enough animation to communicate a fully-integrated view of the piece and Fischer-Dieskau's expressive fluidity is wondrous. He was a huge presence, physically and spiritually as well., In what amounted to a benediction for the symposium, Jessop recalled a Shaw story related to Brahms. Johannes Brahms: A German Requiem - Classic FM Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), Op. This really is Shaw's third and final recording having prepared it, he died shortly before the actual sessions, which then were realized by his colleague. Brahms, whose religious views were complex and skeptical, How Lovely are thy Dwellings The last movement to be added the fifth, in which a solo soprano sings of a mother's comfort is generally attributed to the memory of Brahms' mother, but less as an immediate response to her death than a later tribute. But you must make it clear if youre not absolutely sure so the next generation knows where they stand. In the notes to his recording, Gardiner asserts that he attempted to eschew a standard smooth approach in favor of the Baroque devices that Brahms, more than any other composer of his time, studied, cherished and assimilated, including dissonance, cross-rhythms and syncopation, and in particular Schtz's speech- and dance-derived rhythms. ], Willem Mengelberg, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam Toonkunst Choir, Max Kloos, Jo Vincent (1940, Turnabout LP, 65'). For answers to those questions, Shaw would have sought someone with the expertise of yet another symposium faculty member, musicologist Michael Musgrave. Brahms-haters often complain that they find his music claggy, densely textured and over-serious. An harmonic analysis of the German requiem of Brahms To return to the title, a further connotation addresses the issue of language itself. Brahms Take away the dynamics. What impresses me now, as an older man, is seeing Shaw free to float, to make a vocal line. Like Shaw, Walter saves his most potent firepower for VI so as to emphasize its thematic importance in the overall structure, but unlike Shaw's dissipation of that energy he plunges into an equally energetic fugue. Unlike most large religious works, the German Requiem was not written in response to a commission or for a public event, and so efforts to trace its inspiration are somewhat diffuse. In keeping with the two soloists' respective functions, the baritone aptly quakes with excitement, while the soprano is serene. Karajan applies his trademark polish, but without lapsing into the slickness that would tend to dominate his later work. Nearly 30 years later, Brahms asked his publisher to remove the metronome marks from the score, saying that good friends had persuaded him to add them. The Wagnerians were telling you what the future was; Brahms was hobnobbing with scholars, unearthing music nobody knew. Musgrave dismisses the claim of Brahmss first biographer, Max Kalbeck, that the Requiem began as a cantata, instead favoring a somewhat related explanation from German conductor Siegfried Ochs. Beyond the expected mixed reaction from pro- and anti-Wagner partisans, for whom Brahms soon would become a symbol of conservative tradition, the performance ended in disaster, when the percussionist apparently mistook a dynamic indication in the score as ff and drowned out the concluding third movement fugue with a deafening pedal point. As might be expected, the choral singing is rich and natural, with confident pacing. LSU Digital Commons | Louisiana State University Research R. Kinloch Anderson cites the ghostly sound of the opening as proof of Brahms' sense of orchestral color and the patter of harp, flute and pizzicato violins as his sensitivity to specific words (in this instance accompanying mention of raindrops). Jessop considers it the pinnacle of craftsmanship in composition for chorus. Maurice Durufl's Requiem: the best recordings, Britten's War Requiem: the story of how Britten came to compose his most famous piece. Without belittling others' valid proactive and personalized approaches, this is a performance for the ages that can be heard repeatedly and cherished by future generations. Take the fundamental issue of timing Brahms provided metronome indications for the Bremen premiere, but he later had them removed, and in any event they are far faster than any conductor is willing to accept thus, for the 158-bar common-time first movement he specified 80 quarter notes to the minute, which would yield a performance of just under 8 minutes; Gardiner takes 9:50 and Norrington 8:48, while among traditional conductors the fastest are Walter's 8:52 and Shaw/RCA's 9:15; the average hovers between 10 and 11. Brahms crafted the structure of his German Requiem to bolster the impact of the disparate textual sources he had assembled. For his own recording, Shaw tempered the Maestro's fundamental objectivity with a welcome infusion of flexibility and warmth that avoided a feeling of impersonal mechanical rigidity. Were going to do it anyway, Shaw decided. That aspect of the Requiem deserves its own attention. That same year had also seen him break off his engagement to Agathe von Siebold who, he later told a friend, was the last love of his life. But perhaps the most significant but overlooked word in the title is the first and least prominent: "Ein" ("A"). Mengelberg's fusing of warmth and vitality produces an intensely human document that set a high standard for those that would follow. That is truly possible only when the story and its meaning are told in the living language of the singer and listener. Still, says Jessop, Shaw struggled because he could not let go of the fear that he would do injury to the music itself. Jessop remembers Shaw saying, Rarely do music and text meet on the same high level, but in Brahms they do.. Robert Shaw: (1) RCA Symphony Orchestra and Chorale, James Pease, Eleanor Steber (1947, RCA; 65'); (2) Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Richard Stilwell, Arleen Auger (1983, Telarc; 70'). Interviewed for the video, he called it the fastest way to unify sound and find metric divisions, adding, youd be surprised how you can undiscipline a choir by beginning with text the first time., Answering a symposium participants question, Shaws longtime assistant, Norman Mackenzie, current director of choruses at the ASO, explained the rationale for count singing this way: Its the principle of building blocks. Classical Notes - Classical Classics - Brahms' German A German Requiem, Op. 45 | work by Brahms | Britannica Even though Mengelberg culminates with a slowly unfolding and majestic VI fugue and a ruminative finale, the overall impression is not one of mournful regret, but rather a contemplative celebration of life. Indeed, while the Catholic requiem begins with a blessing for the dead, here death is not even mentioned until the penultimate movement, nor are the dead themselves addressed until the finale. Balances favor the chorus, which sings with precision and meticulous enunciation, thus tending to suggest an emphasis on mechanics over emotion and presenting more bones than flesh. Indeed, the performers sound like they had something important to prove to assert the intrinsic and abiding musicality of their culture. Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elisabeth Schwartzkopf (1961, EMI, 69'). Brahms crafted the structure of his German Requiem to bolster the impact of the disparate textual sources he had assembled. WebVince Sheehan explores the themes, structure and text of this choral masterpiece. What's in a name? The Brahms Requiem: Questions for the Conductor Along with questions about his musical and textual motivation, Brahms left several other issues to puzzle As Specht put it: "By its use of a German text in place of the Latin, it should speak far more impressively to every mourner than a setting of a dead language, the solemnity of which could affect but a few." I prefer the earlier one, if only for the massively potent timpani that galvanize the II climaxes (and suggest control-room manipulation drums just can't be that loud!). 1 in C minor, by Johannes Brahms. It comprises seven movements, which together last 65 to 80 minutes, making this work And as is equally apparent from the timings, the "American" tradition, if indeed there was one, favored far quicker tempos and a feeling of overall vitality. The build-up to the climactic cry that all flesh is as grass leaves the listener broken, before the visceral relief at the major-key reassurance which follows. Nowadays, systematic building of discipline is far less common, and so is the irascible, cantankerous kind of conductor Shaw could sometimes be. Recommended. Herbert von Karajan: (1) Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, Hans Hotter, Elizabeth Schwartzkopf (1947, EMI; 75'); (2) Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Singverein, Eberhard Waechter, Gundula Janowitz (1964, DG, 76'); (3) Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Singverein, Jos Van Dam, Anna Tomowa-Sintow (1977, Angel LP, 76'). Let's begin by exploring these, together with some others that follow the paths blazed by the pioneers. In notes to his companion set of the Brahms symphonies, Norrington summarizes his approach as using forthright, spacious tempos subject to sensitive but simple variation, clear textures, wind-favored balances, and phrasing with warmth, sparkle and passion. Following her separation from Brahmss father, the composers beloved mother Christiane died of a stroke, aged 76, in early 1865. The rest of the year was preoccupied with concerts and other compositions, but Brahms returned to the Requiem in early 1866. Brahms It was with these purposes in mind that I A symposium presented by Chorus America in honor of the Shaw centenary explored the conductors deep connection to this masterworkand what it reveals about his approach to music and his legacy. Karajan's first two stereo Berlin Philharmonic remakes (he made yet another with the Vienna Philharmonic (1985, DG), which I haven't heard sorry, but even I have my limits) are quite similar, hovering between profundity and aloof abstraction. He found in that music qualities he was not finding in the music of his own time, says Musgrave. At the time, Shaw wrote, Bachs first concern was to affirm and quicken a faith. The dead march which follows ranks with his most outstanding accomplishments: haunting of key, with violins and violas subdivided into three parts each, and over a relentless distant tattoo in the timpani. While sorting through Schumann's estate, Brahms came upon a bare reference to a German Requiem and felt compelled to take up the task. The vibrato-free Orchestre Rvolutionnaire et Romantique may divide listeners, but the payoff of this live performance from 2008 is the fabulous recorded sound quality across the range, from the throbbing subterranean bass which opens the work to the piercing, high solo winds of the inner movements. By April, he sent Clara Schumann two movements of the Requiem. I could see he could channel more than music, but life itself. Never dull but rather purposeful and focused, it flows inexorably. WebSDG is happy to present last recording issued from the 2008 Brahms: Roots and Memories tour, in which John Eliot Gardiner and his ensembles explored the music of Johannes Brahms. The underlying problem may have reflected a dispute over Brahms generally; as Edwin Evans noted in 1912: "no one seems able either to like or to dislike him only a little. Legend has it that Elizabeth Schwartzkopf, who sings her comforting solo with ravishing nurture, selflessly sang along with the chorus sopranos to bolster their efforts. Siegfried Kross rejects these specific stimuli, deeming the work far too closely connected with Brahms' whole personality. The opening movement begins with a warm, flowing instrumental figure derived from a Georg Neumark hymn that had been a favorite of Bach. 2012-2023, Chorus America. Indeed, nearly all prior musical requiems (including the famous ones of Mozart, Cherubini and Berlioz), and most that would follow (Verdi, Dvorak, Faure, Britten) used the standardized Latin text of the Catholic mass for the dead. The study highlights the four main movements of this symphony, the language in which musical ideas are presented, the rhythm, repetition of exposition. My only quibbles are a slightly stodgy pacing of the VI fugue and a bad splice before its final "Where is thy sting." It opens with a solemn march in time (derived from the slow scherzo of the abandoned symphony), lightens with hope, proclaims the word of God in bold unison, and ends in varied radiant assertions of "ewige Freude" ("everlasting joy"). Many accounts of this recording tend to apologize for the need to overcome post-war deprivations (excuse me while I dry my tears), but what emerges is a fine combination of beauty and fervor that radiates sincerity. All Rights Reserved. While others have invested the work with greater serenity, drama or spirituality, Klemperer leads with granitic force while avoiding the grimness that afflicts some of his late work, and his supreme poise triumphantly treads the thin line between objectivity and disengagement. Some may regard Toscanini's manner as a model of sophistication and integrity, mostly refusing to inject himself into the splendor of the music itself and enabling its structure to emerge in our minds, but it may strike others as too impersonal and abstract; I tend to prefer a more proactive approach that directly communicates a deeper range of human feeling. The title Hermann Prey sings the heart-rending baritone solos as if his life depended on it, while Elisabeth Grmmers mature, warm sound offers the reassurance and dependability often missing from more girlish renditions. Shaws message, as paraphrased by Ratzlaff, read, As far as Im concerned, its fine whether you come in or not. H. Kevil explains that 19th century ears, accustomed to attempts to express emotional reality, found Brahms' level approach a sign of sterile pedantry. The preparation of a new edition of the work by the team of the Brahms Collected Edition has taken decades but Brahms-lovers can rejoice that it is finally in print. Practical Guide for Performing, Teaching, and Singing It was about the music and nothing else. He was not so much setting texts as realizing them, he told symposium participantsa comment that inspired fellow faculty member Leonard Ratzlaff to chime in: This text is replete with tone painting, he said, citing the sudden key change in the sixth movement after the baritone sings in einem Augenblickin the blink of an eye. For Ratzlaff, who teaches choral conducting at the University of Alberta, it provided an object lesson for the conductors in the room: At some point, its important to have a micro look at the text, what it inspired the composer to write, harmonically and melodically., In the 1870s the Brahms Requiem received endless performances, says Musgrave, including premieres in London in 1871 and New York in 1877. An harmonic analysis of the German requiem of Brahms The text that Brahms fashioned is derived from the Old and New Testaments as well as the Apocrypha, with all but the fourth movement a blend of these sources. Shaws rehearsals for a 1990 Carnegie Hall performance of the Brahms Requiem, captured on video and screened at the symposium, begin with the opening notes, but not with the words Selig sind. Instead, the singers intone One and two and tee and four and, one and two and tee and four and, one and. The technique, count singing, is often associated with Shaw. But he didnt want us to know much about it. An 1865 letter to his dear friend Clara Schumann provides the first recorded evidence of its existence. If he realized a certain passage was going to require a little more from the first altos, for example, hed assign some second sopranos to join them for a few measures. Perhaps to be heard above the timpanist's din, according to Specht the "singers were intent on shouting each other down wildly" and became "distorted into a deafening agglomeration of sound." In the second That wakes up peoples listening skills., As he watched the rehearsal video, Jessop experienced renewed appreciation for count singing. Even so, by distending the first and last movements to an even greater extent than the others, Lehmann suggests a complete mantle of peace descending on both mourners and deceased, albeit without the underlying sense of living that is an central component of Brahms' conception. WebBrahms chose the texts that were dearest to him. The fifth movement is that ravishing soprano solo intoning a mother's comfort. When his brother was killed, Frink says his mother told him, That should have been you, Robert. It tortured him the rest of his life., People close to Shaw would put up with his difficult side because, says Jones, we knew that there was a more profound exposure to the music and exposure to him that was possible. Craig Jessop remembers him as a towering intellect, the likes of which I had never encountered. Matthias Goerne is a superbly racked soloist in the third movement anyone who has helplessly contemplated their own mortality can relate to the Promethean despair (and the rage, in the repeated section) of that molten, burnished voice. Even so, while the tenor is fine, the soprano soloist is more grating than comforting, so you may want to invoke historical precedent and emulate the work's second premiere by skipping the fifth movement. The notion of a large choral work was hardly foreign to Brahms, who had worked for years as a choral conductor and wrote works for chorus throughout his career. Yet, a translation that reflects the tight interdependence of Brahms' music and the sheer sound evoked by his original words seems elusive, if not utterly futile. More likely is that by shunning Latin for the vernacular, Brahms intended the work to be more accessible to modern audiences. The timings, both overall and of individual movements, are somewhat deceptive, as his fast sections are very rapid, while the slow portions tend to be quite measured. The second movement the most overwhelming, almost Verdian number begins with an exquisite weariness, evoking the dragging feet of slowly processing mourners. Also noteworthy was Shaws instruction that singers begin by count singing between pianississimo and pianissimo. The third movement begins with a vulnerable solo baritone imploring God for knowledge of his fate, poises on a musical brink as he agitatedly asks "What is my hope?" The unusual string sound borrows much from the world of historical performance, but without sacrificing the luxurious sound and emotional vulnerability that come with the use of vibrato. And in his 1997 biography, Jan Swofford degrades it as "too consistent in mood, without enough variety of texture, tempo and feeling to create the illusion of a satisfying story unfolding throughout.". The most common English renderings of "Blessed are" or "Blessed they" generate multiple problems at the very outset. From the outset, Mengelberg extends the logic of Brahms' musical architecture to a microcosmic scale, sculpting each phrase of the opening movement with constant swells of sound and adjustments of tempo to create mini-climaxes that animate the generally level terrain. Brahms Requiem: Introduction to Musical Analysis The recorded sound has great immediacy, and the chorus produces a beautifully sustained and richly coloured Brahms compiled passages from Luthers Bible for his 1868 Ein deutsches Requiem, texts that focused on comfort for the living rather than judgment and pleas for mercy on behalf of the deceased. That may have had something to do with family history. The stillness and tranquillity of the final movement brings a satisfying sense of closure and healing. A 1983 remake with Shaw's Atlanta forces, which by then he had led for 15 years, boasts a superlative early digital recording and a somewhat broader overall pace that trades the sweep and momentum of the earlier reading for a sense of well-being. Indeed in terms of tempos alone this is quite possibly the most sizable variance among all known Toscanini performances of any given work. It gave the composer a sense of how massive the piece would be. Brahms responded that hed deliberately omitted such passages. Four years later, this magnificent work fulfilled the prophecy of Brahmss genius made by Claras husband Robert in 1853. Yet the two realizations, while both exceptional, are far from identical the Norrington is notably leaner, crisper and faster and with good reason our only indications are indirect and thus somewhat speculative. Yet he achieved a magnificent German Requiem with these Stockholm forces, undoubtedly due to the special rapport developed during his wartime visits to the neutral Sweden, which had provided his only contact with music and emissaries of the free world. But when sprawled over 80 minutes and without the special touches of a Furtwngler, Abendroth or Bernstein it tends to just drag more than fascinate. What was going on in Brahmss life and work at the time he wrote the Requiem? Schumann's widow Clara proclaimed the finished work as the fulfillment of her husband's prophesy and after a planned Schumann commemoration fell through, Brahms wrote: "You ought to know how much a work like the [German] Requiem belongs to Schumann.". WebLSU Digital Commons | Louisiana State University Research The performance was a huge success for Dietrich, it was simply overwhelming and Brahms was celebrated afterwards at a banquet. Brahms Far more successful was the composer's April 10, 1868 Bremen performance of a six-movement version. For this first European studio German Requiem, producer Walter Legge reportedly passed up the opportunity to preserve Furtwngler's glowing account and instead gambled on his young wartime rival. This is the most widely-acclaimed stereo recording of the German Requiem, and rightly so. Symphony created by a computers analysis of incomplete musical Klaus Blum found resemblances between the Brahms German Requiem and two requiems that Schumann had written.
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