Album: Paavo Jarvi, Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem (Virgin Classics)

Following his brilliant interpretation of Beethoven's 9th, Järvi turns his attention to another German musical milestone, Brahms' most imposing work.

The deliberate omission of a specifically Christian message lends the piece a universality denied to some requiems, which Järvi, the Swedish Radio Choir and Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra tap with a performance of compassion and sensitivity. Natalie Dessay's soprano aria in the fifth movement adds lightness and spiritual aspiration between Ludovic Tézier's more sombre baritone solos, and rather than a big, declamatory climax, the serene conclusion finds the piece effectively evaporating into the ether.

DOWNLOAD THIS Selig sind, die da Leid tragen; Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit; Selig sind die Toten