# Brahms Requiem - best recording



## Charlie Mac (May 23, 2015)

Was listening to a podcast of the BBC Radio 3 Building A Library episode of this and there was no airspace given to Karajan whatsoever which, given the fact that he recorded it multiple times, surprised me; though, perhaps, it shouldn't surprise me at all - critics very rarely praise Karajan in anything.

Klemperer (predictably, in this work) was given high praise but Sawallisch with Price and Allen was given the first choice recommendation, a recording I've never heard, personally.

Which is your favourite recording of this glorious work?


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## Selby (Nov 17, 2012)

The recent one from Gardiner to compliment the Klemperer.


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## Charlie Mac (May 23, 2015)

Selby said:


> The recent one from Gardiner to compliment the Klemperer.


Yes, this new Gardiner recording gets a lot of praise, I've noticed. I think his first recording appeals to me a little more, though.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Abbado with Terfel


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

Previn, on the Teldec label.


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## Charlie Mac (May 23, 2015)

Mandryka said:


> Abbado with Terfel


Which recording is this? I only know Abbado's recording with Studer and Schmidt.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Charlie Mac said:


> Was listening to a podcast of the BBC Radio 3 Building A Library episode of this and there was no airspace given to Karajan whatsoever which, given the fact that he recorded it multiple times, surprised me; though, perhaps, it shouldn't surprise me at all - critics very rarely praise Karajan in anything.
> 
> Klemperer (predictably, in this work) was given high praise but Sawallisch with Price and Allen was given the first choice recommendation, a recording I've never heard, personally.
> 
> Which is your favourite recording of this glorious work?


Karajan is not PC with a lot of critics. His version from the late 1940s just after the war is a classic but (of course) the recording leaves a lot to be desired.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Deutsches-R...641669&sr=8-4&keywords=brahms+requiem+karajan

I have his recording on EMI made during the 1970s. It is good but not as good as the Klemperer imo.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Personally I prefer the Gundula Janowitz, Eberhard Waechter recording by Karajan.

Although both of the Gardiner's are great and I tend to prefer the earlier one, if I was picking a more modern recording I would probably go for the Herreweghe with Christiane Oelze and Gerald Finley.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Charlie Mac said:


> Which recording is this? I only know Abbado's recording with Studer and Schmidt.











It's just a record of a fabulous concert, where everyone seems completely happy to be making music together. I can upload the sound only for you if you want.


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## Charlie Mac (May 23, 2015)

Thank you for the responses.

For me, doing a survey of Brahms' Requiem recordings and failing to mention Karajan makes a mockery of the entire survey. Mind you, BBC Radio 3 have done surveys of Bruckner symphonies (an area of the repertoire in which HvK clearly excelled) and barely made mention of Karajan, so I guess it's no big surprise.

I like his 1947 recording, though the naturally dated sound does mean that it's perhaps not one I'd reach for as a first choice - however, it's pretty good considering it's nearly 70 years old. Weirdly, it gets a thorough slating on the Classics Today website - http://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-10377/ - but they seem to criticise Karajan's interpretations by default.

HvK's 1964 DG version features Janowitz's beautiful fifth movement - surely, there's no better performance of that in the catalogue? However, the engineering quality of the recording isn't, overall, all that great, which is a shame.

The 1976 EMI version sounds great, in my view - not a massive fan of Anna Tomowa-Sintow's fifth movement, though. It's not bad, by any means, but it doesn't appeal to me that much. There's not quite enough tenderness in her timbre for me.

The Klemperer, which is referred to as being the number one choice more often than not, leaves me cold - not uncommon for me with Klemperer, though. I find the dominant brass in the second movement (which, I think, many consider to be a plus point of this recording) obtrusive and excessive and Schwarzkopf really doesn't do much for me in the fifth movement. I prefer how she sounded in 1947 on the Karajan/Vienna recording.

I've not heard the Sawallisch, Levine, Shaw or Previn recordings - many praise them, though.

I've sampled clips of the Abbado/Studer recording and liked what I heard.

Of more recent 'HIP' recordings, the first Gardiner strikes me as more impressive overall than his more recent second attempt - not least because I prefer the soloists in his original studio effort. The Herreweghe is pretty good and I prefer that to the latest Gardiner.

The Harnoncourt doesn't work for me and I've only heard brief clips of the Gergiev and Järvi.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Karajan also recorded it in 1983 with Barbara Hendricks, Jos van Dam and the Vienna Philharmonic, didn't care for that one at all. Odd, I don't find the Janowitz, Waechter recording from 1964 badly engineered unlike his last Beethoven symphony set. I usually find odd acoustics or over engineered sound distracting but I don't hear it there.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Interesting comparative review of some of the recordings

https://topear.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/ein-deutsches-requiem-a-comprehensive-review/


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## Charlie Mac (May 23, 2015)

quack said:


> Karajan also recorded it in 1983 with Barbara Hendricks, Jos van Dam and the Vienna Philharmonic, didn't care for that one at all. Odd, I don't find the Janowitz, Waechter recording from 1964 badly engineered unlike his last Beethoven symphony set. I usually find odd acoustics or over engineered sound distracting but I don't hear it there.


The orchestra and choir both sound distant and lack impact. As a result, it's hard to hear what the choir is actually singing. I'd say that, if anything, it's under engineered.

The main triumph of HvK's 1964 recording is, for me, Janowitz. The problem that presents for me is that, having heard her sing 'Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit', I find every other performance of it disappointing in comparison.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Charlie Mac said:


> The orchestra and choir both sound distant and 'thin'. It's hard to hear what the choir is actually singing. I'd say that, if anything, it's under engineered.
> 
> The main triumph of HvK's 1964 recording is, for me, Janowitz.


Ah yes that is true, the two soloists are really spotlighted in the recording, but then I suppose that is why it is one of my favorite requiems because it is more like Mahler's _Lied von der Erde_ than a choral work. The Herreweghe is probably the exact opposite of that, much more choral, although probably a little lightweight for some that likes Klemperer. Janowitz definitely excels in this which is why she is one of my favourite sopranos she hits a high that even she can't match in Haitink's recording.


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## Charlie Mac (May 23, 2015)

quack said:


> Ah yes that is true, the two soloists are really spotlighted in the recording, but then I suppose that is why it is one of my favorite requiems because it is more like Mahler's _Lied von der Erde_ than a choral work. The Herreweghe is probably the exact opposite of that, much more choral, although probably a little lightweight for some that likes Klemperer. Janowitz definitely excels in this which is why she is one of my favourite sopranos she hits a high that even she can't match in Haitink's recording.


Which CD or vinyl do you have of the '64 HvK Requiem?


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Charlie Mac said:


> The Klemperer, which is referred to as being the number one choice more often than not, leaves me cold - not uncommon for me with Klemperer, though. I find the dominant brass in the second movement (which, I think, many consider to be a plus point of this recording) obtrusive and excessive and Schwarzkopf really doesn't do much for me in the fifth movement. I prefer how she sounded in 1947 on the Karajan/Vienna recording.


I just finished listening to the Klemperer recording, and several sections almost had me in tears. And I'm not the type of person who cries over music, so I guess it's a matter of different strokes. Normally I'm not a fan of Schwarzkopf's light and delicate style, but her feature in the 5th movement held me spellbound!


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Charlie Mac said:


> Which CD or vinyl do you have of the '64 HvK Requiem?


This one, sorry I can't tell you the details of pressing/mastering as I don't have it to hand, only a rip of it. Perhaps the choir levels were boosted as I don't really recall any glaring faults with it.


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