Search - Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, OP. 45 on DVD

Heart Breaking

Martin Ooi | Auckland, NZ | 03/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am so glad that this performance has been reissued. The TDK issue of this performance is close to impossible to find anymore.

Everything about this dvd has to be greatly admired. The sound captured on the recording is pristine (with the exception of the audience coughing in between the movements) and well balanced. The video direction and cinematography (if such a word is appropriate) is engaging and gorgeous, never indulging in unnecessary visual elements.

As for the performance itself, I have heard various accounts of this magnifecent work. Among them the Karajan '47 recording, the Gardiner recording for Phillips, the Levine recording for RCA, and the Sir Colin Davis recording for RCA, and none of them save probably the old and tattered Karajan recording could possibly come close to such a beautiful and yet tragically emotional performance of this work. Throughout the recording Abbado can be seen to scarcely enforce his constitution, always at the brink of breaking down entirely and his orchestra can sense that and reply in a completely heart-warming and tearful manner.

The second movement, Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras, especially is superb. There is no music more terrifying than hearing the fearful decree of the fatality of man coupled with a menacing march that grows ever more intense and yet can within the next few measures comfort one so immensely at the coming redemption of all man.

This is truly a musical as well as a spiritual marvel. No heart will be unmoved by music of such unearthly perfection and so faithful and endearing a performance."

The Brahms Requiem As It Should Be!

William L. Coulehan | Bakersfield, CA USA | 07/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You're not going to hear a better rendition of the Brahms Requiem than this one. Other reviewers have provided excellent insights. What I especially liked was the true-to-the-score performance by Barbara Bonney, without the embellishment and showboating that sopranos seem to be compelled to add. Baritone Bryn Terfel has an amazingly resonant voice. There's not a single musical flaw in this performance. Even though Maestro Abbado chooses not to augment the bass violins with organ bass as Roger Wagner does in his audio recordings, the recording has plenty of bottom. The video editing is excellent. Between movements, as one reviewer pointed out, there's the usual audience coughing; but listen for the long, perfect silence after the last note, before the applause begins."

Best performance ever! by Shant Norashkharian

composcla | California | 01/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After listening to Brahms and reading about him most of my life, I think this is exactly how Brahms would have wanted his Requiem to be performed! I think Clara Schumann whom he escorted to the first performance would have agreed!
composcla@aol.com
[...]"

75 minutes of pure emotion

Reto Wuthrich | Curitiba, Brazil | 01/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been in love with Brahms German Requiem for more than 25 years now, since I had the wonderful opportunity to perform the baritone part in the choir of my high school. Even though I do believe that this requiem cannot be considered as one of the most popular or well known amongst other requiems (ex. Mozart, Verdi and others), to me it seems certainly to be the most grateful in terms of choir interpretation. It's lovely, it's beautiful, it is rather a comforting requiem than a scaring death mass. The interpretation on this DVD, conducted by Claudio Abbado, is very precise and emotionally well tempered in terms of both its orchestral and choir performance. A special credit, in my opinion, belongs to solo baritone Bryn Terfel (I haven't known this artist before) who does an excellent interpretation. The technical quality (2 channels only) is nice and clear, for my personal taste the mastering could be a litte more forward oriented. Concluding, I can certainly recommend this DVD to everybody who is interested in getting to know the Brahms Requiem or to whom simply wants to close the eyes and sing along with the artists."