Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons – Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons – Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:07:30 minutes | 1,13 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © RCO Live

Following the requiem masses of Dvorák and Mozart in previous seasons, this performance of Brahms’s German Requiem would have been the third in a long series of Requiems conducted by Mariss Jansons. Unfortunately the ‘new tradition’ was cut short by Jansons’s departure as the RCO’s chief conductor during the 2014/2015 season. The performance was dedicated to Kurt Sanderling, one of the orchestra’s most beloved guest conductors. He passed away the year before and would have turned 100 that very month. It proved to be a very moving performance, a fitting salute to a great conductor.

Mariss Jansons’ audiophile recording of Johannes Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem is a combination of two concert performances given Sept. 20-21, 2012, which were dedicated to the memory of Kurt Sanderling, a frequent guest conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra who had died the previous year. Jansons and the RCO are joined by the Netherlands Radio Choir, with soprano Genia Kühmeier and bass Gerald Finley as the vocal soloists, so the performance is outstanding for its artistry and expressive warmth. The recording is presented in the multichannel format for optimal sound quality, but because the dynamic range of this hybrid SACD is quite wide, listeners should be prepared to make some slight volume adjustments between the extremely soft opening of Selig sind, die da Leid tragen, and the startling climax of the second movement at 9:27 at the words “ewige Freude,” though most of the recording is set to a comfortable mid-level. –AllMusic Review by Blair Sanderson

Tracklist:

01. Gerald Finley, Genia Kühmeier, Netherlands Radio Choir, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons – Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45: I. Selig sind, die da Leid tragen (09:32)
02. Gerald Finley, Genia Kühmeier, Netherlands Radio Choir, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons – Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45: II. Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras (14:05)
03. Gerald Finley, Genia Kühmeier, Netherlands Radio Choir, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons – Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45: III. Herr, lehre doch mich (09:27)
04. Gerald Finley, Genia Kühmeier, Netherlands Radio Choir, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons – Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45: IV. Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen (05:37)
05. Gerald Finley, Genia Kühmeier, Netherlands Radio Choir, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons – Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45: V. Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit (06:59)
06. Gerald Finley, Genia Kühmeier, Netherlands Radio Choir, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons – Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45: VI. Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt (11:51)
07. Gerald Finley, Genia Kühmeier, Netherlands Radio Choir, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons – Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45: VII. Selig sind die Toten (09:56)

Download: