It is not always good news in the Ladies' Choral Society that the conductor has produced another new work for them to sing. I hope that Brahms's ladies were sensible of their good fortune. He would have his own blessings to count too if all his ladies were half so vocally reliable as Richard Westenburg's. No wobbles or tremoloes here, but all fresh, firm voices with accurate intonation, attentive musicianship and highly competent counterparts among the gentlemen. They are able also to call on some excellent instrumentalists, the piano adding its rightful touch of domesticity, the harp and horns making a magical combination with the women's voices in the four songs of Op. 17. The signs are, incidentally, that there was a certain amount of dissension in the ranks at Hamburg, for one of Brahms's closest friends wrote ''I cannot grasp them at all''.
A high standard in the performance of these songs was set a few years ago by the North German Radio Chorus, whose recordings were included in the centenary Brahms Edition on DG (2741 018, 5/83). These are as authentic as any can be in the sense that they are by the successors of Brahms's own singers in Hamburg, and they are in their own right delightful recordings. The American singers can certainly stand the comparison and in fact emerge very creditably. Tempo and style are similar but just a fraction livelier. In the Fingal song, the last of Op. 44, the Germans have a rather stronger sense of the dramatic, but the Barcarole (also Op. 44) has an easier lilt in the new version and the Toasting song from the same cycle has a degree more of both subtlety and conviviality. The additional clarity and presence of the CD recording also bring the evident enjoyment of the performers into sharper focus. Enjoyed and recommended.'