Farrington’s reduction…certainly emphasises the sense of intimate consolation…The choral singing itself is excellent. The 32-member Yale Schola Cantorum is full of young vibrant voices, and they respond with alacrity and sensitivity to David Hill’s vastly experienced direction…The two soloists match the choir in youthfulness and ardour, although both have vibratos that occasional interfere with vocal stability.

This chamber orchestration by Iain Farrington of Brahms’s Requiem – for string soloists, three wind players and piano – is a revelation. Perceptively reflective, it reveals a work of intense, lyrical beauty where voices are enhanced by the instrumentation. It is the antithesis of the authoritative performances of the past, so when the drama is revealed it is all the more powerful. David Hill’s reading of the score is intimate and sensitive, giving the music a lyrical, flowing beauty.

A recording of Farrington’s arrangement will doubtless prove invaluable for amateur singers learning their parts for a concert, especially one so sumptuously engineered…Much of the choral work is as hushed and haunting as any on disc. David Hill’s instincts are sound, especially in the Requiem’s outer pillars and its keystone, ‘How lovely are thy dwellings’.

With singing and playing of such a high quality, this German Requiem has lost none of its revelatory potential.