Album: Brahms, Works for Choir and Orchestra – Herreweghe (Outhere)

Philippe Herreweghe's survey of Brahms' works for choir and orchestra is flooded with light.

In Schicksalslied, Gesang der Parzen and the dark-hued Begräbnisgesang, the span is as broad as that of the German Requiem. The a capella motet Warum ist das Licht... demonstrates Brahms' love of Bach and Schütz, the Rhapsodie (with soloist Ann Hallenberg) his capacity for tenderness. The silky portamenti of the strings is a testament to the refinement of the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées.