Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

My wife will tell you that I am not a great romantic: usually Brahms leaves me cold. Thus I approached this review with trepidation although I was glad to hear Accentus again as, under the direction of Laurence Equilbey, this choir is gaining a very positive reputation. This version of the Requiem, opus 45, is the one that uses the composer's own piano reduction of 1869. The pianists are Brigitte Engerer and Boris Berezovsky and they do just what Brahms wanted: allow the vocal score to shine. Accentus do not disappoint and the two featured soloists, the soprano Sandrine Piau and baritone Stéphane Degout, are excellent. Those who like Brahms (and I know that there are plenty of you out there) must consider adding this to your collection and those of us who have an interest in choral singing should benefit from studying this. I confess that my presuppositions were negative when I slotted this disc into my player and I am not ashamed to confess that I was wrong.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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