Description
An intimate & human version of Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem for piano 4 hands, soloists and choir with movements from Schumann's Kinderszenen woven inbetween those of the Requiem.
Initially, Brahms gave his composition the title Ein menschliches Requiem (A Human Requiem). The monumental composition for orchestra and choir that would become Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) lies far from that intimate beginning. But Brahms did not forget his initial plan: he even transcribed a version for piano 4 hands, soloists and choir: transparent, intimate, colourful and, most importantly, very personal.
In search of the man who was Brahms, we weave some childhood memories of his good friend Schumann in between the movements of the Requiem. In his Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood), Schumann in turn combined various short works that were close to his heart and through which he thought back, filled with nostalgia, to his own childhood.
The Vlaams Radiokoor was founded in 1937 by the Belgian National Radio Institute (NIR/INR). The history of the radio choir is inextricably linked with that of its sister ensemble at the same broadcaster: the Great Symphony Orchestra (now the Brussels Philharmonic).
Artists:
Vlaams Radiokoor
Vlaams Radiokoor
Jan Michiels - Piano
Inge Spinette - Piano
Sarah Wegener - Soprano
Thomas Oliemans - Baritone
"Brahms's Requiem is one of the more docile of its type, so interweaving its movements with Schumann's Scenes from Childhood works well as a concept, creating a benign musical narrative between the two ends of life's journey." - BBC Music Magazine, 4 STARS