Ein Menschliches Requiem

Brahms wanted to write music that would offer some support: hope for those near him, comfort for the living; and not with a somber funeral march. Initially, he gave his composition the title Ein menschliches Requiem (A Human Requiem). The monumental composition for orchestra and choir that would become Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) lies far from that intimate beginning. But Brahms did not forget his initial plan: he even transcribed a version for piano 4 hands, soloists and choir: transparent, intimate, colorful and, most importantly, very personal. In search of the man who was Brahms, we weave some childhood memories of his good friend Schumann in between the movements of the Requiem: his Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood).