James Levine, Boston Symphony and Tanglewood Festival Chorus played 3 weeks ago Brahms’s "German Requiem". It was one day Friday concert that I did not pay attention – the Brahms’s Requiem is not the work to which I have a warmth. I heard it once before live and have some recordings but I did not find it festinating. Today WGBH broadcasted the live-to-tape recording of the concert. Wow! How I understand why I never got this work – I never heard it with properly performing chorus.

The Tanglewood Festival Chorus was not just wonderful in this work but it truly showed off the amplitude of amassing expressive tools that a Chorus can possess. Chorus is immensely complex to reinstate by playback. The wonderfully performing Corus is immensely difficult to come along. Here where everything comes together.

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2008/09/29/brahms_requiem_becomes_a_celebration/#commentAnchor

God bless Tanglewood Chorus and Boston FM.

The next week the Tanglewood Festival Chorus with Soprano Norah Amsellem, William Ferguson tenor and Christian Gerhaher barrito are going to play the celebrated Carmina Burana by Orff. To hear this with Tanglewood but inside she’ll be VERY interesting.  The BSO will be lead by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos who considers that Carmina Burana as his specialty.  To insult the injury the fact that WGBH broadcasts Friday concert LIVE and WCRB broadcasts Saturday concert LIVE. Guess what I am going to be?

Anyhow, it is fun to hear US orchestras play Carmina Burana. Last year I caught SF orchestra with MTT played the work surprisingly enthusiastic but it was noisy WHGR broadcast.  I think the Tanglewood Festival might do even top SF musically and it might be way more interesting sonically. I have a very good feeling about next week.