German Requiems

The major work in this concert by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was Ein Deutsches Requiem, performed not by the symphony orchestra but by its Chorus. Pianists Louisa Breen and Tom Griffiths accompanied, with a duet arranged by the composer himself. In this concert the Brahms was preceded by another requiem – Uber dem Dorn by contemporary French composer Thierry Machuel. It was the Australian premiere of this serious work, a setting of three poems by Paul Celan, a victim of Nazi persecution who took his own life in 1970. Machuel’s score provided an apt reflection of Celan’s tragic story, from the bleak opening Psalm, with its hushed voicing of the text, punctuated by brief melodic cries from the soloists (mezzo Alison Ralph’s being particularly powerful). Conductor Jonathan Grieves-Smith elicited some fine part-singing in the middle poem, “Folded up at night” and, in the final, “Eye of Time” the choir carried through the composer’s intention to “make the idea of warming up after death perceptible”. This “burgeoning and blooming” provided a link with the Brahms, famous as a requiem that uses the words of Scripture – rather than the Latin Requiem Mass – as a means of consolation. The Chorus, more confident with this work, delivered both the strong melodic line and the rich harmonies that give this Requiem such beauty. With such powerful singing, and a fine performance by the pianists, the listener did not feel the absence of a full orchestra – the more usual accompaniment. Soprano Jacqueline Porter and baritone Samuel Dundas were excellent choices to emphasise the messages of hope and trust in God which infuse the text. In the lilting “How lovely are your dwellings”, the strong male voices anchored the sound, maintaining the dignity of the words. In the penultimate chorus (also featuring Dundas) the singing was triumphant. In the final “They will rest from their labours, / for their deeds follow them” it was gentle but still assured. The enthusiastic applause confirmed that Grieves-Smith, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus and its guest artists had succeeded in fulfilling Brahms’ intention: to deliver a Requiem that was ultimately uplifting, despite its sombre subject. German Requiems Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Melbourne Recital Centre Season closed