Brahms: German Requiem (ein Deutsches Requiem) – Classic FM Magazine

One of the earliest British performances of Brahms’ Requiem in 1871 took place in a private house in London. For reasons of lack of space Brahms provided a transcription of the orchestral accompaniment for piano duet, and that is the version performed here by the chamber-sized Vasari Singers. There’s an undeniable loss of dramatic splendour at the climax of the second movement (For all flesh is as grass), but the greater degree of intimacy is highly appealing. The choir makes a pure, well-blended sound, Claire Seaton is ethereally beautiful in the fifth movement solo, and Jeremy Backhouse holds it all together wonderfully well.

Warwick Thompson
Classic FM Magazine