CD1
Liebeslieder:
Liebeslieder-Walzer op. 52
Neue Liebeslieder op. 65
CD2
Secular Choral Works:
Drei Quartette op. 31 (1864)
Drei Quartette op. 64 (1874)
Vier Quartette op. 92 (1889)
Zwei Quartette op. 112a (1891)
CD3
Secular Choral Works, Romanzen, Lieder
and Gesange:
Three secular a cappella choral works
op. 42
Sieben Lieder op. 62
Sechs Lieder und Romanzen op.
93a
Fünf Gesänge op. 104
CD4
Secular Choral Works:
Vierzehn Volkslieder/ 14 Folk Songs,
WoO 34
Zwölf deutsche Volkslieder/
12 German Folk Songs, WoO 35
CD5
Secular Choral Works, Zigeunerlieder:
Zigeunerlieder/Gypsy Songs op.
103
Zigeunerlieder/Gypsy Songs op.
112b (Nr. 3-6)
Sieben Volkslieder für Vorsänger,
Chor und Klavier/Seven folk songs for
soloists, choir & piano, WoO
33
Tafellied/Table song op. 93b
Kleine Hochzeitskantate/Little Wedding
Cantata
Dem dunkeln Schoß der Erde
CD6
Sacred Works, Motets:
Zwei Motetten/Two Motets op.
29
Geistliches Lied op. 30
Zwei Motetten/Two Motets op.
74
Drei Motetten/Three Motets op.
110
Missa canonica WoO 18
CD7
Sacred Works:
Marienlieder op. 22
Fest-und Gedenksprüche op.
109
Fünf Lieder op. 41 für
Männerchor
12 Lieder und Romanzen op. 44
für Frauenchor
Vier Lieder aus dem "Jungbrunnen"
(7.-10.)
CD8
Female Choruses:
Ave Maria op. 12
Der 13. Psalm "Herr, wie lange" op.
27
Drei geistliche Chöre/3 sacred
choruses, op. 37
Gesänge für Frauenchor/Four
Songs for female chorus, for 2 horns
and harp, op. 17
13 Kanons op. 113
The ever-enterprising
Brilliant Classics label is to be heartily
congratulated for releasing this wonderful
eight CD collection of Brahms’ secular
and sacred choral works. These are mainly
for unaccompanied choir (a cappella)
or with minimal instrumental accompaniment.
At super-budget price the set represents
particularly attractive value.
In the marketing narrative
on their website, Brilliant Classics
inform us of the importance of this
eight CD set. Firstly it is true that
Brahms’ choral music is little known
and this situation is being remedied.
Secondly this set contains the complete
Brahms a cappella output, including
some world premiere recordings. It is
a real shame that we are not informed
as to the identity of those world premieres.
Thirdly this set is a major achievement
for the Chamber Choir of Europe under
the direction of Nicol Matt. This is
true as they are a first-rate and progressive
choir. However on the fourth CD it seems
that the choir is not the Chamber Choir
of Europe but the Amadeus-Chor about
whom we are not provided with any information.
In a recent review
I wrote that the greatest composers
generally wrote the greatest music even
if it is only rarely in the public domain.
The greatness of the choral works of
Johannes Brahms only serves to reinforce
my viewpoint. Unaccompanied choral music,
as illustrated by the small number of
concert performances and the frequent
deletions in the CD catalogue remains
unfashionable and has been so for several
decades. This is a terrible shame as
Brahms’s choral compositions are remarkable
and for the most part unknown by the
average listener leaving a considerable
treasure trove of precious gems to be
unearthed. However the tide seems to
be turning and in addition to this Brilliant
Classics release in the last couple
of years or so there have been several
welcome new cycles, in particular from
the Chandos, Classico and Harmonia Mundi
labels.
Throughout Brahms’s
career choir works, both sacred and
secular, were extremely popular in Europe.
In fact, intimate, four-part choral
works and romantic works scored for
larger choirs were probably the leading
musical genre rivalled in popularity
only by the wide variety of chamber
music played in a domestic setting .
Rather than assemble an entire orchestra,
it was far quicker and easier to gather
together a group of singers, including
amateurs, capable of mastering the parts
without too much difficulty.
In 1859 Brahms co-formed
and became music director and conductor
of the Hamburger Frauenchor, a women’s
choir numbering some forty voices, an
association which was active until 1862.
This experience undoubtedly stimulated
Brahms to conduct and write prolifically
for choral forces which he continued
to do productively for the rest of his
life. With the exception of the popular
Liebeslieder-Walzer (CD1) Brahms’
large body of choral works to be performed
a cappella or with minimal instrumental
accompaniment seems largely forgotten
and certainly neglected, a situation
that this Brilliant Classic release
is helping to redress.
From the large number
of choral pieces on this release I have
singled out the following works for
particular attention:
Composed between 1868
to 1869 for vocal quartet and piano
duet the eighteen Liebeslieder-Walzer
op. 52 (CD1) were enormously successful.
These Georg Friedrich Daumer settings
are in the authentic Viennese waltz
style and have been described as, "a
refined apotheosis of domestic music-making".
They were so immediately popular that
Brahms orchestrated many of the waltzes.
Following the popularity of the Liebeslieder-Walzer
in 1874 Brahms, with the encouragement
of his publishers who were never slow
to miss a marketing opportunity, composed
another set of waltzes entitled the
Neue Liebeslieder op. 65 (CD1).
This set of fifteen waltzes which
feature a considerable number of individual
soloists is more advanced in concept
and richer in musical thought than the
Liebeslieder-Walzer. The first
fourteen Neue Liebeslieder are
again settings of texts by Daumer with
the final waltz featuring a Goethe text.
The excellent Chamber Choir of Europe
under Nicol Matt offer joyful and spontaneous
lyricism, successfully maintaining the
lighter-veined spirit of these two sets
of waltz-songs.
I just love the Sieben
Lieder op. 62 (CD3) which are part-songs
for six-part chorus which Brahms composed
in 1860-62. Brahms uses texts from ‘Des
Knaben Wunderhorn’. the folk anthology
that was to greatly inspire Mahler several
years later. The singing of the Chamber
Choir of Europe is cleanly focused,
vital and direct.
Brahms in his Six
Songs and Romances for unaccompanied
mixed chorus, op. 93a (CD3) uses romantic
texts in an economic and concentrated
style. Nicol Matt and his choir perform
the six part-songs wonderfully with
great warmth and with a fine feeling
for the ‘colour’ of the music.
The last of the Five
Part-Songs for unaccompanied mixed
chorus, op. 104 (CD3) from 1886-88 heralds
a change of mood. The song Im Herbst,
on a text from Klaus Groth, is one
of Brahms’s most exquisitely despondent
works. The performance from the Chamber
Choir of Europe is suitably evocative
of melancholy with a palpable intensity
of feeling.
Brahms’s Missa canonica
WoO 18 (CD6) is a substantial work
strongly related in technique to the
13 Kanons op. 113 for
unaccompanied female voices. The Missa
canonica is early, part composed
in 1856, and has sections missing so
the mass may not have been completed
to Brahms’ satisfaction. Furthermore
the Credo that caused Brahms
much trouble and was not completed for
many years is now lost. Although incomplete,
the Missa canonica is well worth
hearing and has many fine moments. These
are strong and direct performances,
pure-and bright toned and sung with
appropriate reverence.
The Three Motets
for four and eight-part unaccompanied
chorus, op.110 (CD6) were composed by
Brahms in 1889 and were probably the
last choral works that he wrote. The
first and third Motets are written for
eight-part double chorus whilst the
second Motet is scored only for four-part
chorus. The Chamber Choir of Europe
give a fine and most fluid performance.
The first of the Two
Motets for mixed chorus, op.74 (CD6)
was composed in 1877 for double four-part
chorus and the second motet for four-parts
was composed some years earlier between
1863 and 1870. The Chamber Choir of
Europe under Nicol Matt excel themselves
in these two wonderful pieces. However
the interpretations from the St. Brides
Choir under Robert Jones on Naxos 8.553877
just gets my primary recommendation
for their extra expression in a particularly
moving performance.
Between 1859 and 1860
Brahms composed his Marienlieder
for mixed unaccompanied voices,
op.22 (CD7) originally written for the
women’s voices of his Hamburger Frauenchor.
The women’s choir found the contralto
parts too low and were forced to introduce
some tenors at the first performance;
the work was subsequently published
for mixed choir. The cycle of seven
songs have a hymn-like quality, written
in the manner of old German church chorales
or German folk songs. In the Marienlieder
the Chamber Choir of Europe effectively
convey Brahms’ atmosphere of straightforward
religious faith and sheer radiance of
mood.
My favourite works
included here are the exceptional Four
Songs for female chorus, two horns
and harp, op.17 (CD8) which were composed
by Brahms in 1860 for his Hamburger
Frauenchor. These entrancing and exquisite
part-songs for chorus are highly Romantic
in style yet, inexplicably, they are
rarely performed and recorded. It has
been said that Brahms chose the accompaniment
of the two horns for their association
with ‘forest mystery’ and the harp for
its evocation of water and wind. Brahms’
biographer Malcolm MacDonald wrote,
"Had Brahms written nothing but
these four choruses he would deserve
to be remembered as one of the lyric
masters of the Romantic period."
The Chamber Choir of
Europe sing the op.17 choruses slowly
and make these intrinsically joyous
and lively works sound almost like dirges;
especially in the opening chorus, Es
tont ein voller Harfenklang. Wonderful
playing however from our harpist Martina
Schrott and the two horn players Sebastian
Schindler and Sebastian Schorr. In this
op.17 work nothing beats the breathtaking
performance from the London Symphony
Chorus, on a Dame Janet Baker selection,
from Virgin Classics 561469 2.
I found the sound quality
on this set to be clear and detailed
yet over-bright in the Forte passages.
Brilliant Classics usually have difficulties
with their annotation but this release
is a vast improvement. There are one
or two grammatical and translation errors
in the narrative but author Jorg Rothkamm
has done a fine job. As usual the decisions
about which titles to translate or not
is annoyingly inconsistent. Texts have
been included but unfortunately without
English translations. The average timings
of the discs are less than generous
and the set could have been condensed
in number. The compact box set is really
attractively presented in nicely designed
card slip-cases.
A most attractive release
of Brahms's complete unaccompanied choral
works. At super-budget price this release
represents marvellous value. These works
are a joy to hear and exploration will
bring the listener many discoveries
and hours of pleasure. Highly recommended.
Michael Cookson
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 92179 CD1 [50:36+41:35+
57:11 + 66:28 + 58:18 + 57:47 + 61:07 + 52:34]
for
details