Lest anyone be confused, this so-called “London” version of Brahms’ German Requiem originally was created in 1869 by the composer as a four-hand piano version of the complete work, incorporating voice and orchestra parts together for keyboard performance. It was not, therefore, simply a setting of the choral work with piano reduction of the orchestral parts. In the version presented here by the superb Accentus choir and its very able conductor Laurence Equilbey, we hear two pianos rather than one (“for reasons of sonority”), whose players alter Brahms’ original score, omitting material rendered “superfluous” by the inclusion of voices. The question I ask is whether recording this setting of the Requiem, which was rendered by Brahms at the request of his publisher only for the purpose of domestic enjoyment (there were no such things as recordings, and many homes had competent pianists and decent pianos available), is really necessary, important, or in any way enlightening regarding the understanding of the work’s full-orchestra conception. My conclusion, after hearing and analyzing the piano/choral version more than once (for my review of another recent offering, type Q6062 in Search Reviews), is that, while the piano-only rendition may be interesting and even involving, when you wish to hear Brahms’ original full-chorus-and-orchestra conception, there’s no reason to waste your time with a setting that just sounds underpowered and wanting for the color, the expressive subtlety, and multi-layered force of a symphony orchestra accompaniment.
If you’re looking for revelatory moments illuminated by the leaner textures and greater focus on the choral parts, you’ll be disappointed. The pianos just sound like make-do contributors to what we know is Brahms’ truly glorious orchestral realization. There’s no way that pianos can reproduce the range of dynamic and other expressive effects (listen to the lame excuse for string figurations in the fifth movement), let alone the varying colors and sustained power in the driving fugues or the final movement’s most tender passages. Further, there’s a decided lack of rhythmic subtlety and the phrasing tends toward rigidity. There’s no question as to these performers’ technical competence–the choir is completely in command and obviously relishes Brahms’ luscious, lovingly conceived lines, and the pianists do the best they can with the relentlessly busy and dense-textured parts–but ultimately they’re restricted by the confined space of the arrangement and its lack of substance and power. Not surprisingly, balances are skewed, alternately favoring chorus and pianos; soloists are presented in relatively realistic context with the chorus. There’s probably some category of listener/collector that will consider this recording essential; but for most of us–even Brahms’ Requiem fans–it’s a poor and insubstantial pretender.
