Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 (1869)
Christiane Karg (soprano), Matthias Goerne (baritone), Swedish Radio Choir, Swedish Radio S. O. / Daniel Harding
rec. 2018, Berwaldhallen, Stockholm
HARMONIA MUNDI HMM902635 [70:32]
I’m a massive fan of Daniel Harding’s work with the Swedish RSO, as I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, so I was really looking forward to this German Requiem, not least because, as far as I can see, it’s the first time Harding has recorded with the Swedish Radio Choir. They acquit themselves admirably here. They sing with clarity and precision, articulating the text admirably, and there is power in their singing which is captured admirably by the recording engineers in the Berwaldhallen. Indeed, the soundscape of the recording is pretty impressive throughout. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a recording, for example, where the harps are so clearly audible (perhaps to the point of artificiality?).
The orchestral playing is excellent, too. Things are dark and hoary for the second and third movements, but then there is an ethereal lightness to the character of the last movement that suits its beatific nature, and the blend with the choir is always very well done. Matthias Goerne is a stupendous baritone soloist, full of craggy grandeur but, also, riddled with spiritual misgivings; while Christiane Karg’s ethereal soprano is very beautiful, if a touch impersonal.
If there are qualms then it’s over Harding’s direction, which is never troubling but, occasionally, a little inconsistent. I was with him completely at the opening, which is taken slower than usual – something that’s perhaps true of the recording as a whole – but the purposeful tread drew me into the performance very successfully. It also worked for the dark thoughtfulness of the third movement and the rhapsodic wonder of the fourth. However, the pulse didn’t quicken sufficiently for the big turning points. “Aber des Herrn Wort” carries on in a fairly businesslike way, and the fugue of the third movement doesn’t tighten in the way it should. Things are better for the great climaxes of the sixth movement, on the other hand, and “Herr, du bist würdig” moves along at a cracking pace and temperament.
Perhaps not perfect, then, and it won’t replace classics by Karajan and Klemperer, but it sits nicely alongside modern recordings by Jansons and Järvi, and it’s definitely worth exploring if, like me, you’re a fan of the performers.
Simon Thompson
