Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45: II. Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras (Part II)

There is something deeply unsettling and restless about this performance, I can't put my finger on it though. It's lyrical (just listen to that soft, yet snappy brass!), transparent but there's something very evanescent and fragile about Kegel's take on the work, I find it deeply moving.

Kegel's unjustly forgotten these days, he was by far the most important champion of contemporary music in the communist German Democratic Republic, not always an easy role given the politics at the time. He was frequently plagued by depression and reputably not an easy person to work with - a perfectionist who molded the Leipzig Radio Choir into the best German-speaking choir at the time, one of the best choirs in the world. Brahms' Requiem is primarily a choral piece (the orchestra's prime purpose is to comment and back the choir, one of its anachronistic qualities) it profits immensely from the choir's virtuosity, knowledge of the text and native pronunciation.

Kegel's interpretation is both analytical and lyrical, he's not afraid to take liberties with the tempo either - you can almost smell the brimstone as the choir sings, no, yells "Der Tod ist verschlungen in den Sieg" at the top of their lungs. But even during the intense fugues each word is intelligible. The orchestra plays beautifully, especially the brass.

Siegfried Lorenz with his clean, almost tenor-like timbre sings the baritone solos beautifully, his unpretentious, yet clear diction is a marvel in itself, far too many singers try to over-dramatize these humble, mysterious lines. I'm not all that happy with Häggander's contribution, her voice is a bit shrill - but then the aria is monstrously difficult.

All in all one of the greatest Requiems ever recorded, together with Abbado's probably the best digitally recorded one.

Kegel committed suicide in 1990 (five years after this performance), under the impression that his lifework, the Radio Choir Leipzig, would be disbanded. He left many recordings, most of them available on Berlin Classics at low prices, among his most outstanding achievements is a terrific recording of Schönberg's "Gurre-Lieder" with the wonderful Eva-Maria Bundschuh singing the soprano part and the best "Moses and Aron" I've ever heard, just as transparent as Boulez' but far more dramatic and passionate. His Webern is equally excellent, just as fiery and fleet as early Boulez but far more lyrical - again, that soft, lean brass! Gorgeous. Then there's the best Carmina Burana I've ever heard (the old one from '60), razor-sharp and almost chamber-like - the choirs virtuosity makes even the more repetitive parts interesting. His recording of Mahler's First is the best I've ever heard together with Kubelik's, a great Parsival and countless recordings of 20th century compositions, I really like his Bartok and Stravinsky performances. His recording of Britten's War Requiem his last recording before he killed himself is in some ways even more crushing than Britten's own recording of it, though the flawed English diction of Theo Adam holds it down a bit.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• herbert
• kegel
• brahms
• requiem
• siegfried
• lorenz
• mari
• anne
• häggander
• leipzig
• radio
• symphony
• orchestra
• choir

[PhysicalsimForever]

Why did Brahms, an agnostic (and possibly an atheist) write a Requiem?

[Nachtmarchen]

@PhysicalsimForever Why not? It's not like one need be a theist to mourn the passing of another, or to sympathize with others - theist and atheist alike - doing so. One should not underestimate the humanist traditions of later European Christianity, both Roman-Catholic and Lutheran - I'm quite certain Brahms held no theist beliefs for the better part of his life, but there is no doubt in my mind Lutheran tradition remained an important part of his cultural identity to the very end.

[skyboyq]

Yes, I agree with Nachtmarchen about the tone of this. You can hear the difference between the fugue in this movement, which is about "ewige Freude" (eternal Joy) and the one in mvmt 6 which is about Death and God's power. The latter performance is extraordinary -- taut, crisp, percussive, even terrifying. This one seems quite wistful by comparison. Maybe "jauchtzen" of "ewige Freude" were just too hard to manage in the dying days of the DDR!

[Nachtmarchen]

@skyboyq Yes, that may well be. Are you familiar with the old Fritz Lehmann recording of this piece? It is daringly slow at times, yet conveys the meaning of the text like no other interpretation I've heard.

[skyboyq]

@Nachtmarchen No, I do not know that recording. Do you have details?

[Nachtmarchen]

@skyboyq Recorded by DGG in early 1955 with the Berlin Philharmonic and the St. Hedwig's Cathedral Choir (then the best Germany had to offer) with Otto Wiener and Maria Stader singing the solo parts. It's mono, but very clear and never congested, a bit shy on the bass in its current CD incarnation perhaps. As far as conducting and choir go this is my favorite German Requiem ever, though the EMI recording with the same forces under Rudolf Kempe has even finer soloists (Elisabeth Grümmer & FiDi).

[OktoberStorm]

@PhysicalsimForever I've seen some of your comments. You need to understand the culture at the time.

Norway is mostly secular. That we bury our deceased in a christian tradition doesn't mean any of us are more christian by it. Christianity has traditionally had a huge cultural influence on Europe, so writing a requiem does between zero and nothing about your beliefs.

[PacRimJim]

At times, the triple time is exaggerated in this performance, almost like Ravel's La Valse.

The lightheartedness of the waltz is inappropriate in music of mourning.

[PacRimJim]

Brahms wrote it to honor his mother. That it does, and it honors music as well.

[grahamlaur]

@PhysicalsimForever Brahms specifically stated that he was writing a requiem without clear religious underpinnings. Someone correctly identified it in part one as a "human requiem."

[Richydoes]

I think you are spot on about 'liberties with the tempo'. His treatment of the 3/4 Db theme is lightened with the quicker tempo (contrast Carl Davis with his turgid dragging) and this brings clarity to the contrasting second entries. The DDR seemed to demand the highest musical standards on all of their broadcasting media and I was fortunate to hear much live music in East Berlin as well as their radio. As to the crisper brass (as a ex pro clarinettist) perhaps the older type of mouthpiece??

[GreneKny3t]

@PhysicalsimForever The choice really isn't all that surprising. Religious forms provide fertile ground for composers. Even composers who have no traditional religious faith to speak of are often drawn to such forms. (One thinks of Fauré or Britten). It is also worth noting that Brahms did not write a requiem per se. The requiem incorporates the ordinarium of the Catholic mass. All of Brahms' texts come from the Old Testament. There is no mention of Christ, much less an avowal of his divinity.

[epiksonik]

My research project concerning the most splendid idea of human disaster led me to this magical piece.....a triumph of spirit yet retaining an element of elegiac sadness of What Once Was .... to say the least - we shall pray for them all, and for us all. God Bless.