Brahms: German Requiem - Olaf Bar, Lynne Dawson, Roger Norrington, London Classical Players [Import, Original recording reissued]

Olaf Bär (Performer), Johannes Brahms (Composer), London Classical Players (Orchestra), Lynne Dawson (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Olaf Bär, Lynne Dawson
• Orchestra: London Classical Players
• Composer: Johannes Brahms
• Audio CD (July 13, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording reissued
• Label: Angel Records
• ASIN: B00000JJRB
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #385,016 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful & Sublime, March 29, 2002

By 

Brahms Scholar (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Brahms: German Requiem - Olaf Bar, Lynne Dawson, Roger Norrington, London Classical Players (Audio CD)

It is hard to believe that this great recording of one of the most beautiful extended religious works in Western music has somehow been overlooked. Roger Norrington has succeeded in capturing the grandeur and majesty of this majectic work without it becoming muddled and overblown.

Lynne Dawson, has not garnered the attention that the more well known soprano's have received and this is ashamed. Her delivery is smooth and her voice blends well with this assembly. Although she does not sing with the same measure of soaring power that one can hear in Kathleen's Battle's recording with James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony, the effect of her more subtle delivery, along with the quality of the production, makes the Norrington recording the one to own if budget constraints prove limiting.

Olaf Bar adds some slight inflections in "Herr, lehre doch mich" that are very pleasant to the ear and lend the work a personal flavor. His voice is rich and smooth throughout. The Schutz Choir sounds inspired and focused. They never once loose the emotional thread that runs throughout all the sublime moments in this piece.

This Disc is highly recommended for its Clarity, Grace, and overall excellence of production. Even if you already own a recording of The German Requiem, Brahms lovers should not be without it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Successful re-creation, October 11, 2004

By 

Leslie Richford (Selsingen, Lower Saxony) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brahms: German Requiem - Olaf Bar, Lynne Dawson, Roger Norrington, London Classical Players (Audio CD)

This recording was made at London's Abbey Road Studios in 1992, using 20-bit technology, and both these factors account for an excellent recording; it is well-known how difficult it is to capture such enormous choral and orchestral works on disc, but this version seems to fulfil all the criteria of success. The balance between soloists, choir and orchestra is well-nigh perfect, and despite the fact that no less than 132 singers and musicians were involved, there is plenty of detail to be heard. Brahms himself might have, in fact, used even larger forces, and it is at this point that Norrington was forced to achieve some kind of compromise in his attempts to re-create what Brahms had in mind. He seats the orchestra in typical 19th century fashion, with the second violins on the right of the conductor, and makes use of Rheinthaler's tempo markings from the first performance in Bremen Cathedral, although allowing for a certain licence demanded by Brahms himself. The soloists Olaf Bär and Lynne Dawson are both excellent, neither of them attempting to turn their solo parts into opera arias or to gain prominence at the expense of the other participants; both have beautiful voices which harmonize really well with Brahms' deeply serious music.

Roger Norrington has harvested both enthusiastic praise and bitter criticism for his attempts at extending 'historical performance practice' to the music of the 19th century. Personally, I think he made a wonderful job of this music. What a pity the London Classical Players have disbanded! But it seems that the work they started is still going on: If you are interested in 19th century music in 'authentic' performance, you might be interested in a number of fairly new Cds by the Dutch orchestra Anima Eterna directed by Jos van Immerseel (most of them on the French specialist label Zig-Zag Territoires).