Johannes Brahms:
- Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), Op. 45
German-born composer, Johannes Brahms, began his music career as a choral conductor. During that time, he also composed music for smaller choral groups, and he performed them as the Choral Director.
Brahms was a good friend of Robert Schumann and his wife Clara. They both encouraged Brahms in his work, and they provided important critical reviews and suggestions for improvement.
It was Robert Schumann, who published an article in a German musical publication that predicted that Johannes Brahms would come to be known as one of the great composers to follow Beethoven.
This prediction that Schumann made about the young Brahms comes to reality in this amazing performance of ‘A German Requiem’. Brahms composed this work as a memorial to his mother, and it shines in all its glory without being subject to any comparison.
The Requiem is performed by Elisabeth Grümmer (soprano) and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone), with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Sainte-Edwige Choir, Rudolf Kempe, conducting.
One particular highlight of this recording is soprano Elisabeth Grümmer who sings “Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit” (Now you have sadness); this is quite simply one of the most sublime pieces recorded on this CD.
Here is a video of Kathleen Battle in “Ein deutsches Requiem” by Brahms, as conducted by Herbert v. Karajan in Vienna:
http://youtu.be/QdD0tdbNmjg
And next, here is the Brahms Requiem, with Barbara Bonney, and Claudio Abbado conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker:
And now, here is Elisabeth Grümmer, the soprano in this recording, singing Brahms’ “Ein deutsches Requiem”:
http://youtu.be/zZWvFD2bl6M
Tags: Johannes Brahms, A German Requiem, Elisabeth Grümmer