The agnostic Brahms wanted to appeal to everyone with his non-Latin (because German) requiem, Christian or not. He deliberately omitted the medieval texts about the terrifying Last Judgment (Dies irae). He preferred to choose biblical texts that dealt with generally human experiences, such as transience, beauty, and comfort. Brahms would have preferred to give the work the title 'A humane requiem',
… but that was a bit too daring for a 19th century audience. The first performance was in 1868. The conductor Carl Reinthaler then noted the tempi that Brahms preferred, this of course in the form of metronome numbers. Conductor does not slavishly follow these tempos, although the metronome numbers are included in the booklet for reference. After all, it is not about the literal interpretation, but about the intention. Because all in all, this performance also strives for an 'authentic' historicizing approach, with flowing tempi and open articulations. (HJ)more
