Brahms’ Requiem

25 March 2023

Salisbury Musical Society Centenary Concert

A large audience was present in the Cathedral to hear the eagerly awaited Centenary Concert of the Salisbury Musical Society. At the door free programmes were presented to every person, along with an excellent booklet describing the history and achievements of the Society since its inception. Back in 1923 it was the Cathedral Organist and Director of Music, Sir Walter Alcock, who formed the Society and conducted many of early concerts, just as today David Halls continues the tradition so successfully.

Last Saturday’s concert was in part a replica of the 1923 SMS inaugural concert, the centerpiece being once again Johannes Brahms’ A German Requiem. Back in 1923 the other piece in the programme was Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony. This time the concert included Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture, together with a specially commissioned new anthem by David Halls himself – The Beauty of Holiness,

After an introduction from the Dean of Salisbury, in which he predicted that double-centenary of SMS would again include the Brahms Requiem in 2123, the concert began.  The programme notes (excellently prepared by Jon Hampton) described the amusing origin of the 1880 Academic Festival Overture.  This splendid amalgam of student drinking songs provides a perfect vehicle to show off an orchestra’s capabilities, starting with quiet strings and woodwind, and building up to the broad triumphant finale on ‘Gaudeamus igitur’. The Chelsea Opera Group Orchestra quickly showed their versatility. The volume of decibels at the climax, when the full brass, timpani and bass drum come into play, was unexpected and astounding.

It was interesting to read that the production of David Halls’ new anthem was funded by John Powell, whose long service to music in Salisbury must be something of a record. John first sang in the Cathedral as a boy chorister under Sir Walter Alcock. Now, still singing in SMS well into his 90s, he provides a direct link back to the early history of the Society.  In composing The Beauty of Holiness, David Halls decided to use words from Psalm 96 to create an anthem with an upbeat feeling of joy and optimism. Quiet reflective passages alternate with vigorous exciting material, and there are many clever harmonic shifts, finally leading to a thrilling E flat chord (with top B flat for the sopranos, and other extra spice).  Because the acoustic of the cathedral is so resonant it was sometimes difficult to hear detail, especially when the orchestration included the brass. From that point of view some of the most effective sections were when choir and orchestra worked antiphonally with no danger of obscuring the voices.  ‘Ascribe unto the Lord’ and the start of the Gloria were particularly successful examples.  It would be good to hear this excellent new work in its version with organ accompaniment as soon as possible.

For this performance of the Brahms Requiem, the programme notes usefully provided the full text in German as taken from Luther’s Bible, together with an English version from other sources. It was interesting to reflect on how far away this Requiem is from the Latin Mass. Brahms himself apparently thought that it would be better called a ‘Human’ requiem. Certainly every movement includes a feeling of comfort and reconciliation, as well as underlining the inevitability of death. Under David Halls’ direction, SMS and the Chelsea Opera Group gave a powerful and beautiful reading of this towering work, sometimes referred to as the last great classical choral masterpiece. From the gentle Movement I to the menacing march of Movement II, to the great fugues of Movements II and VI and the amazing tonic pedal point fugue of Movement III, there was immaculate control of the large orchestra and choir. Tempi always seemed right, the long crescendos were superbly paced, and the great climax in Movement VI  ‘O Death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’ was absolutely stunning at its dramatic peak.

The Soprano soloist was Brittany King. Her exquisite ‘And ye now therefore have sorrow’ will long be remembered. For that movement the choir remained seated, providing a quietly restrained accompaniment to the soloist as she soared effortlessly above them. The Baritone soloist was Božidar Smiljanić, whose superb and commanding voice was just right for the declamations of Movements III and VI.

There is, and always has been, just one problem in the Cathedral, namely the ease with which even a large choir can be overshadowed by powerful orchestral brass and timpani. If the singers could be raised higher perhaps it would help. Even so, does it really matter? The grandeur of the building far outweighs any quibbles about balance, and the sound of a large orchestra in that huge space is a thrilling experience in its own right, not to be throttled back..

Everyone who was lucky enough to have heard this Centenary Concert would agree that this was an occasion of exceptional beauty, for which the SMS choir and David Halls must take huge credit. The singing was refined, balanced, with every phrase perfectly shaped. The sopranos were able to sustain the long passages of high notes in the Brahms apparently effortlessly. It was easy to forget, at least briefly, the rather miserable state of the world outside while listening to this truly heavenly music-making.

Dr Richard Godfrey
Reviewer