The Sixteen's version of Ein Deutsches Requiem follows a growing trend of recording the piece in its arrangement for piano duet rather than with the original orchestral accompaniment. Brahms made the arrangement himself to ensure the Requiem's broader dissemination, making it accessible for amateur choral societies. While it was purely a pragmatic move, the fact that it's Brahms' own arrangement gives it inherent musical interest. The advantage of the piano version is especially clear for chamber choirs like the Sixteen, ...
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The Sixteen's version of Ein Deutsches Requiem follows a growing trend of recording the piece in its arrangement for piano duet rather than with the original orchestral accompaniment. Brahms made the arrangement himself to ensure the Requiem's broader dissemination, making it accessible for amateur choral societies. While it was purely a pragmatic move, the fact that it's Brahms' own arrangement gives it inherent musical interest. The advantage of the piano version is especially clear for chamber choirs like the Sixteen, who can bring to it the same crystalline precision and tonal purity that they bring to Renaissance and Baroque works, characteristics that are harder to achieve with the massive choral forces that usually perform the Requiem. Since they are a small chamber choir, it would be difficult to achieve good balance with Brahms' large orchestra, so the piano version makes good sense. While there are gains in hearing the piece sung with such choral transparency, the piano version has some...
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