Dundee Choral Union usually do a spring concert that requires a chamber ensemble rather than full orchestral accompaniment. Here their conductor Derek Clark tried something really quite unusual. The Brahms German Requiem was left by the composer with a piano score, and the Union did it this way, with the two piano arrangement by August Grüters played by Valerie Maynes and Morley Whitehead. An atmospheric addition was the retention of the important timpani part, played by Thomas Lowe. A further innovation was the performance in English translation for a change - initially a bit odd for someone familiar with the German text.
The two soloists work regularly with Scottish Opera and have previously been heard in Dundee. Phil Gault has performed a number of times in the hall and his baritone filled the space with ease. Sarah Power has previously appeared with Scottish Opera at the Gardyne, a less sympathetic atmosphere, as well as in Samson with the Choral Union a decade ago. Her sweet soprano also sounded lovely in the warm Caird acoustic.
One interesting advantage of using the pianos was the increased clarity of the full choral sequences. In normal orchestral performances the two fugal sections can cause problems as the accumulation of choral and orchestral sound tends to become mushy and indistinct. Perhaps the prevalent fashion for performing early romantic music in 'period' style will increase the sense of clarity, but meantime the piano version works well.
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