Johannes Brahms : Ein deutsches Requiem

   in Choir & Organ (Sep, 2014)
There are few musical experiences that more fully engage heart, mind and eye than the Dresdner Kreuzchor’s traditional annual performance of the German Requiem in its home Kreuzkirche. The A ‘full, strong performance’: Vocal Concert Dresden and (inset) Dresdner Kreuzchor miracle of this recording is that so much of the atmosphere has been preserved. What might be a rather dry and second-order experience comes across fully and strongly, with the boys’ voices given due prominence. In fact, it’s hard to fault the recording on any level, and the closing ‘Blessed are the dead’ marks the perfect emotional cadence to a reading of sustained intelligence by Roderich Kreile. Exceptional. …