An accomplished pianist, Brahms’ output for the instrument spanned his entire life. In addition to his solo works he made four-hand piano arrangements of many of his orchestral and vocal scores, to give them greater accessibility.

Brahms composed his German Requiem as a tribute to his mother, whose death in 1865 left him inconsolable. The work avoids the terrors of death in favour of a more consolatory mood of gentle comfort. The four-hand piano arrangement of the Requiem was made in 1869, originally for performance in London with soloists and chorus.