The death of Brahms's mother provided the stimulus for him to complete a work he'd begun a decade before - a setting of the Requiem. It proved to be a turning point in his career; it was the first large-scale work he brought to fruition and went on to be an enormous success. During the summer following his mother's death, Brahms produced a trio for piano, violin and horn, which contains a touching elegy for his mother. Donald Macleod introduces extracts from these contrasting works, as well as a selection of songs published shortly after the premiere of the Requiem, including his famous Lullaby, and a charming vocal quartet all about the Viennese craze for dancing. Show less