EIN DEUTSCHES REQUIEM

Audite's series of Rafael Kubelik's live broadcasts from his tenure in Munich goes from strength to strength. Latest is this superb 1978 Brahms Requiem, bathed in glorious sound that lets you hear details in the chorus and orchestra often missed in other versions. Part of that, of course, is due to Kubelik's conducting. He always stressed proper balances, taking care to bring out details but never exaggerate them. Kubelik recordings usually also feature sane, middle-of-the road to slightly fast tempos, a wide dynamic range, and string sound that glows with warmth. They're all present here. In the Requiem, he's some five minutes slower than his atypically fastest competitor, Klemperer (EMI), and at 74 minutes somewhat slower than most of the other performances I checked. But the impression the recording makes is of spaciousness and expressive power; Kubelik never rushes or dawdles. The choral first movement, "Selig sind, die da Leid tragen" (Blessed are they that mourn) encapsulates