It may come as a surprise to many that Brahms’s German Requiem, which for well over a century has been one of the most popular pieces in the Romantic choral repertoire, first became known in the UK in an English translation. What’s more, Brahms himself created an alternative version of the original score, swapping the full orchestra for piano four hands, so that the London premiere could be given to a select, invited audience at the home of renowned surgeon Sir Henry Thompson at Wimpole Street, London on 7 July 1871.
In this, its sixth recording on Delphian,The Choir of King’s College Londonrevives the nineteenth-century English setting in which Brahms’s masterpiece established itself as a favourite among its earliest British audiences. We are delighted to welcome to Delphian the Choir’s new director Joseph Fort, who is joined by pianistsJames BaillieuandRichard Uttley, and soloistsMary BevanandMarcus Farnsworth.
