»I am completely and utterly filled by your Requiem, it is a very powerful piece, touches the whole person in a way that few others do«, wrote pianist Clara Schumann to Johannes Brahms after looking through the sheet music, »oh, if I could hear it, what I would give for it«. Visitors to the Laeiszhalle now have the opportunity to do just that. And in a version that Brahms himself designed for private performances on a small scale: The orchestral apparatus is replaced by a piano arrangement for four hands, creating a very intimate listening experience.
But above all, Brahmsʼ Requiem is a magnificent choral work. Brahms himself would have liked to call his »German Requiem« the »Requiem for Man«, not (only) because of the lavish choral scenes, but because the composer – in keeping with the context of his time – dispensed with any liturgical reference. Instead, he focussed on the people themselves and their experiences and chose biblical passages as the basis for the text, which provide comfort in the event of loss and severe suffering.
For the urgency of the expression, Brahms sends the choir through many key changes and into remote harmonies, from meditative pauses to dramatic outbursts. The NDR Vokalensemble under the direction of its chief conductor Klaas Stok is able to utilise its full range here. The solo parts are skilfully integrated into the choral movements. The NDR Vokalensemble has enlisted the services of US baritone John Chest and Australian Siobhan Stagg. The Italian music magazine GB Opera hailed the soprano as a »brilliant soprano, even in the difficult colouratura parts«.
PERFORMERS
NDR Vokalensemble choir
Siobhan Stagg soprano
John Chest baritone
Jan Vermeulen piano
Joop Celis piano
Klaas Stok director
PROGRAM
Johannes Brahms
A German Requiem, Op. 45 (version for soloists, choir and piano two or four hands)
