Draeseke Requiem in B minor

[Alan Howe]

OK, time to stick my neck out. I've been playing and replaying Draeseke's Requiem in B minor available in the Downloads section and, beyond Bruckner's Masses and Brahms' German Requiem, I can't think of any piece to equal it in the broad Austro-Germanic tradition from the second half of the nineteenth century. In weight of utterance, richness of texture and sheer individuality of expression - only Draeseke could have written this - it seems to me a quite extraordinary achievement.

If you haven't yet downloaded it, I urge you to do so without delay...

[Mark Thomas]

I hadn't, but will most definitely now. Thanks for the heads up, Alan.

[Balapoel]

That was my feeling when I forwarded the info to UC. Much better than the other Requiem by Draeseke (voices only).

[Alan Howe]

The late a capella Requiem is a quite different sort of work. Not comparable with the earlier piece at all.

[eschiss1]

Finally started listening to this (the B minor, I mean- though the E minor is available @ YouTube  in a performance, too.) Already very impressed...

[eschiss1]

(and after much distraction finished listening to it - that is some (2-part) finale there.
Apologies for. But yes- this really might be one of the best works I've heard from him.  I hope the new edition that's being published, and new performances, may be followed by a new recording too- for instance.

After all, this is the 100th anniversary year of his death, as I can't believe it took me until just this moment to notice. Dense, Eric, very dense, very very dense. (Me, not the music, of course.)