A fabulous Brahms German Requiem at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with Dinis Sousa, the Monteverdi Choir and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. This British choir (formed over sixty years ago for a concert in King’s College, Cambridge) with their associate conductor Dinis Sousa, brought a completely fresh perspective to this work.
The programme
A sense of expectancy swirled around the Concertgebouw on Thursday evening. Who is Dinis Sousa, the assistant conductor of the Monteverdi Choir and associated ensembles, making his debut with the RCO along with Dutch soprano and long-time Monteverdi Choir favourite, Lenneke Ruiten? Would this relatively small period choir really be a match for the mighty RCO?
Clare Varney | Bachtrack
Dinis Sousa and the Monteverdi Choir brought a fresh perspective to Brahms’ German Requiem, but how was this achieved?
Sousa paid attention to the bottom end of the orchestra:
Firstly, the sonorous and throbbing double bass and organ pedal notes, sounding an octave lower than written, invited us into a completely new sound world. In the words of Dominic Seldis, principal Double Bass of the RCO, Sousa invited the double basses to go down the octave ‘tastefully when we want. It’s a personal choice for the group. There are low notes written, but we were adding some. It’s quite confusing for the audience whether the double basses are playing them or whether the organ is playing them.’
Secondly, Brahms’ German Requiem is usually performed with a chamber organ as many venues do not have a full-sized instrument. Organist, Niek van de Meir, used the smaller chamber organ for the Schütz and J.C. Bach, but moved to the main organ for the Brahms. Using the 16ft pedal for the low notes meant that the written notes sounded down an octave from the double bass.
The combined effect of double basses playing these two bars down the octave, and the use of the main organ sounding an octave below, gave added gravitas to the many doom-laden pedal notes. The audience were immediately drawn into this new sound world and it was mesmerising. A small and simple change but highly effective.
The brass enhanced the choral texture and did not dominate
This was particularly noticable in the 2nd trombone solo in “Alles Fleisch” which did not overpower but just cushioned the male chorus. Playing their part too, the trumpets played on rotary trumpets which brought a roundness to the texture.
Taking a bow
The Het Concertgebouw organ
When a concert first sounded in the Great Hall, on April 11, 1888, there was no organ yet. With the proceeds of a benefit concert and a lottery – 22,352.89 guilders were collected – an organ could be ordered in 1890 from the Utrecht organ builder Michaël Maarschalkerweerd (1838-1915). The organ company Maarschalkerweerd & Zoon remained in existence until 1940. Today the instrument is managed by Flentrop Orgelbouw in Zaandam
Concertgebouw.nl
In a Behind the Scenes video, organist, Leo van Doezelaar, tells us more about the instrument, talks about his dancing shoes, and even takes a look inside. Click here to watch the video with English subtitles, and read more.
Fun facts about the RCO and Brahms’ German Requiem
Julius Röntgen conducted the first performance of Brahms’ German Requiem by the RCO on February 18th, 1893 with the Toonkunst Choir Amsterdam, soprano Aaltje Noordewier-Reddingius and baritone Johannes Messchaert.
The last performance of the work by the RCO was nearly twelve years ago on September 23, 2012 under Mariss Jansons with the Groot Omroepkoor, soprano Genia Kühmeier and baritone Gerald Finley.
This concert was reviewed at Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam on Friday 29th February, 2024
Click here to read the full review on Bachtrack
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