BRAHMS (1833–1897) / MOZART (1756–1791)

BRAHMS Ein deutsches Requiem

MOZART Serenade in D, ‘Serenata Notturna’

BRAHMS Ein deutsches Requiem

Elisabeth Grümmer, soprano

Hermann Prey, baritone

Kölner Rundfunkchor

Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester / Otto Klemperer

Saal 1, Funkhaus, Cologne, 20 February 1956

MOZART Serenade in D, ‘Serenata Notturna’

Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester / Otto Klemperer

Saal 1, Funkhaus, Cologne, 25 October 1954

Rehearsal Of Brahms Requiem: Saal 1, Funkhaus, Cologne, 20 February 1956

Otto Klemperer was one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century along with Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter and Arturo Toscanini. His period in Cologne from 1954 to 1959 was considered to be one of the most fruitful and exciting of his career, and it was during this time that EMI’s classical producer Walter Legge tracked and signed him to the company following the departure of Herbert von Karajan. His critically acclaimed recordings with the Philharmonia followed.

This live studio recording from the WDR in Cologne has never been issued before.

Klemperer’s conducting of Brahms’s Requiem, one of the cornerstones of the choral repertoire, achieves true greatness. Gramophone Magazine said of his 1961 recording, ‘a conductor whose rugged feeling for the music pays colossal dividends’ sums up this 1956 account.

Both Elisabeth Grümmer (soprano) and Hermann Prey (baritone) were internationally renowned and highly respected.

The CD contains two interesting ‘extras’ – Mozart’s delightful Serenata notturna from 1954 and a rare rehearsal sequence of the Requiem, both issued for the first time.

ICAClassics ICAC5002