Prom 47 - 17.08.13: Brahms – A German Requiem

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

7.30pm – c. 9.55pm
Royal Albert Hall

Brahms
Tragic Overture (14 mins)
Schumann
Symphony No. 4 in D minor (28 mins)
INTERVAL
Brahms
A German Requiem (68 mins)

Rachel Harnisch soprano
Henk Neven baritone
Choir of the Enlightenment
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Marin Alsop conductor

Inspired by the death of his own mother, the German Requiem of Johannes Brahms is famously a piece which sets out to console the living, rather than commending to eternity the souls of the dead. With texts assembled by Brahms himself from the Lutheran Bible, its deliberate avoidance of Christian theology was a source of concern at early performances, but the premiere of the complete work in 1868 was a triumphant turning-point in Brahms's career. Tonight's performance, using period instrument and choral forces of the sort and size Brahms himself would have known, places his masterwork in the context of his relationship with friends and fellow-composers Robert and Clara Schumann - including performances of Schumann's masterly Fourth Symphony and Brahms's own Tragic Overture.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

If there is one work that defines Schumann for me, the 4th Symphony is it!
Potentially a great concert.

[mercia]

the conductor 'broke' her conducting hand last month, didn't she, but I'm sure is well on the way to recovery

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10206548/First-woman-to-conduct-Last-Night-of-the-Proms-hits-painful-note.html

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

If there is one work that defines Schumann for me, the 4th Symphony is it!

But which Schumann 4th?

Potentially a great concert.

- I didn't know that Alsop worked with period ensembles. (No jokes about Bournemouth, s'il vous plait!)

[teamsaint]

Very tempting indeed.
Mind you, many concerts are"potentially" great.......and some that promise little deliver riches......mumble.....mumble.....mumble......

Surprised that the bbc havent run a companion show to find a celebrity replacement for the hapless maestro......very much a missed opportunity.......

[jayne lee wilson]

Well!! My room comes ALIVE to the sound of the OAE! A quite extraordinary Schumann 4...

At times, the body of the orchestra seemed a little light, dry and mellow for the large acoustic space; and conductor/orchestra management of level and dynamics was a touch uneven in the Brahms Tragic Overture, which seemed latterly to settle at one dynamic level; but this was more than offset by explosive power and brilliance in staccato chords and climaxes. The Schumann 4th well deserved its roar of approval. Marvellous!

I so prefer to hear this repertoire played on such instruments now - or by a modern chamber orchestra, rather than the bludgeoning juggernaut of the Grand Romantic Philharmonic. It's lithe, agile and freshly expressive, and those climaxes seem just right in their exceptional dynamic power.

(R3 HDs webstream)

[BBMmk2]

I don't usually like Schumann's orchestral music, but in the hand's of Marin Alsop, I greatly enjoyed it. the only other conductor I like is JEG!

[edashtav]

Schumann and the Age of Enlightenment

Well!! My room comes ALIVE to the sound of the OAE! A quite extraordinary Schumann 4...

... The Schumann 4th well deserved its roar of approval. Marvellous!

I so prefer to hear this repertoire played on such instruments now - or by a modern chamber orchestra, rather than the bludgeoning juggernaut of the Grand Romantic Philharmonic. It's lithe, agile and freshly expressive, and those climaxes seem just right in their exceptional dynamic power.

Oooh, spot on, Jayne, this was pure enlightment, Schumann's D minor played with utter panache and conviction. The rhythmic lilt was often intoxicating. I have no doubt that this was the finest performance that I've heard of this work and it's one that I've heard frequently over the last 60 years. It's great to hear Schumann liberated from those old jibes about "couldn''t score for toffee-fleas". Marin has a great feel for the romantic period, especially Schumann and Brahms. She and her players didn't go for a stiff, literal playing of the score, they liberated the notes from the paper and "played with them". Utterly delightful. I was bowled over - the finest performance that I've heard this PROMS season outshining my earlier favourite - Schumann's Piano concerto with Jan Lisiecki, Papano and the Sta. Cecilia Orchestra.

[Nick Armstrong]

my earlier favourite - Schumann's Piano concerto with Jan Lisiecki, Papano and the Sta. Cecilia Orchestra.

Cor.... that's my favourite so far too. Didn't hear this evening's concert (I went to an Alsop prom last year, I think, and was underwhelmed). However given this praise, and being a Schumann symphony fan, I clearly need to hear this!

[edashtav]

I must rush to do some work but not before I acknowledge the glorious performance of the German Requiem. All concerned: conductor, orchestra and the two soloists performed magnificently. The gain in transparency from the smaller choir and period orchestra was considerable but there was no sense of it being small in scale.

Splendid!

[LaurieWatt]

Cor.... that's my favourite so far too. Didn't hear this evening's concert (I went to an Alsop prom last year, I think, and was underwhelmed). However given this praise, and being a Schumann symphony fan, I clearly need to hear this!

You should; it was a very fine concert with a superb Schumann 4, not normally my favourite. A terrific broadcast as well over the Internet radio - at a slightly higher broadcast level than usual.

[Dermot]

I endorse what others have said about tonight's concert. Of the four proms I have attended over the past three days, Schumann's 4th symphony was, purely as a performance, undoubtedly the highlight. The rhythmic drive and intensity was electrifying from start to finish and transmitted itself to the audience. The hall was packed, yet I have never heard so little coughing and throat clearing. Marin Alsop has a dynamic stage presence and tremendous energy levels. The performance has made me reconsider my attitude to Schumann as a composer of symphonies.

Brahms German requiem received a fine performance also, but I was still living in the afterglow of the Schumann.

[edashtav]

You should; it was a very fine concert with a superb Schumann 4, not normally my favourite. A terrific broadcast as well over the Internet radio - at a slightly higher broadcast level than usual.

Yes, Laurie, this concert sounded very well on the Internet.

The Schumann was so extraordinary that I'd encourage a record company to commit it to CD.

[jayne lee wilson]

Yes, a beautifully sung and tenderly phrased German Requiem. The orchestra remained audible throughout against the choir, delicately balanced. I would have liked a smaller choral force though - I wonder how many were in it. Via the HD stream I sometimes wished for a slightly stronger orchestral presence and a slightly reduced choral one - the upper frequencies were a little fierce in some climaxes (though the soloists were beautifully placed). This may be a personal bias as I've been listening to much Zelenka recently - the Ensemble Inegal with a chorus of 17 - but JEG, in a note to his first recording, makes the point that the Requiem was composed when Brahms was intensely involved with the study of Baroque choral works, especially Schutz, Bach and Handel. He goes on to say: "we can see that it was Schutz's word-painting, expressive use of dissonance and above all his vigorous speech and dance-derived rhythms that fired Brahms' imagination."

Tonight's chorus performed with grace and agility, but I feel their effect could have even more beautiful on a slightly smaller scale.
But a great concert, I think one of this season's best.

**...Into the night...
I dipped into this performance again at All Flesh is as the Grass, suffice to say I was still there some 50' later as chorus and orchestra "rested from their labours"...
I guess those overwhelming choral climaxes were inevitable given the large acoustic space, but the sectional choral moments were wonderfully clear, light, tuneful and expressive. So my reservations diminish as my admiration for this lovely, beautifully-engineered performance is greatly augmented! If you didn't hear it tonight, do try to catch it on iplayer.

Generic leap, but I can never read the lines from the 5th movement "So you now therefore have sorrow/ but I will see you again" without thinking of this, from The Verve's URBAN HYMNS:
"Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again."
(Richard Ashcroft)

'

[BBMmk2]

If she, (Marin Alsop), has recorded on Naxos, it would surely be a BaL winner?