I was, at the very moment this performance was in progress, singing the Matthaeus-Passion by G. A. Homilius in Wiesbaden, so naturally I had no idea that the Brahms Requiem was being performed in Hannover. It's on occasions such as this that I wish I could split myself into two equal parts, one for Wiesbaden and the other for any/everywhere else! I would've so gladly been present in the audience (if not a chorus member!) for this Requiem performance; the piece has been a perennial favorite of mine since childhood, and now particularly its meaning for me has increased exponentially since the irrevocable departure of my wife. I could surely "use" the comfort that was simply composed into the work...and (not only to that end) I'm exceeding grateful that NDR saw fit to broadcast it, and to put it on this medium so that I can hear what I missed while I sang an equally high-quality work in Wiesbaden. NDR, you've done it again! Many, MANY thanks! JAT
Thank you for the beautiful music. I'm very impressed. My heart gets hot and my tears overflow. I pray for world peace and happiness. thank you. From Japan.
Ich finde, ein "schönstes" Requiem gibt es gar nicht. Sie sind alle auf ihre eigene Art schön. Aber ich habe dieses Brahms Requiem auch sehr gerne gesungen. Wie schade, dass Herr Manze uns verlässt. Aber der herrliche Chor wie auch das Orchester bleiben uns ja erhalten. H.H.
The choir is very good. They do the 7th movement very well. In the 6th movement it is unfortunate that they drown out the awesome strings playing Brahms wrote for us.
The Chorus was superb throughout singing with perfect intonation and excellent diction in all voice sections, with a very strong tenor section. I love their tenors! I didn't notice any problem with the Chorus in the sixth movement. If that were the case, it's because that's how Conductor Manze wanted it. He could have easily instructed the Chorus to tone it down to bring out the strings more. I think the finest Orchestra Choruses these days are in Deutschland, at least from what I've heard. I was also glad to see the Chorus Director acknowledged as he came out asking the Chorus to stand to be recognised. It was a superb performance.
I watched part of this performance again tonight. Something I failed to say in my previous comment but I meant to say: The camera crew for this performance was outstanding as well. They know the score. When the basses had their entrance in one of the fugal sections, the camera was on the basses. The same for all the other sections. They remind me of the excellent camera crew for the hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt for their symphonic choral performances. They too know the score well. I really appreciated all the attention they gave to the Chorus as well as the Orchestra. Outstanding!
