Robert Spano’s recording of Brahms’ A German Requiem perhaps unavoidably invites comparison with Robert Shaw’s version, also for Telarc. Both feature rich, wide-ranging sound (exceptionally vivid on SACD), as well as excellent choral singing (though Shaw’s is even stronger in this regard). And both feature relaxed tempos and an occasionally tepid emotional temperature. Spano does distinguish himself by illuminating the score’s textural beauty, but he shortchanges its dynamic energy–especially in the second movement (“Denn Alles Fleisch”) where Brahms’ carefully planned climaxes never reach take-off velocity due to Spano’s failure to build tension in the long crescendos.
Baritone Mariusz Kwiecien provides a strongly sung “Herr, lehre doch mich”, while soprano Twyla Robinson offers a tender though overly soft-focused “Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit”.
But the real comparison should be with the likes of Klemperer, whose four decades-plus recording still leads the pack, not least for its grit and grandeur and really fine solo singing. Colin Davis’ Bavarian performance represents an opposite yet also valid viewpoint. Both of these supersede the generally comfortable Spano.
