Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was 31 when his mother died and this Requiem (Opus 45) was his tribute to her. It was not until 1947 that the complete Requiem was made into a studio recording, which makes this release significant. And there is more: the re-issue is under the sub-heading "Great Composers" and the maestro here is none other than Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989). The scene is Vienna, still partitioned after World War II, with food hard to find and the power supply unreliable. In this gloom von Karajan assembled the Choral Society of the Friends of Music and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, brought in the baritone Hans Hotter and soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and proceeded to work his magic. It is truly a radiant performance with Schwarzkopf's solo in "Ihr Habit Nun Trauigkeit" worth the price of the CD on its own. However, although the transfer was made from the best portions of two sets of shellac pressings with the best technological treatments available there is still a certain amount of crackle. Caveat emptor. If you get annoyed by clicks and hisses then this is best avoided, even at the budget price. If you can rise above these distractions you will be richly rewarded.