Berlioz: Grande Messe des Morts

Hector Berlioz (Composer), Thomas Beecham (Conductor), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Richard Lewis (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Richard Lewis
• Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Thomas Beecham
• Composer: Hector Berlioz
• Audio CD (May 18, 1999)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: BBC Legends
• ASIN: B00000IYMQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,577 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why did it take so long for this to be released?, October 27, 1999

By 

kreisleriana16 (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Berlioz: Grande Messe des Morts (Audio CD)

This performance has been in my tape library for years and was finally transferred to CD Rom. I have not listened to the Audio release per se.

This is a powerful performance that dispells the idea that Sir Thomas concentrated in lighter works. The BBC performance is emotionally charged and well thought out. All though it was performed towards the end of his life the last "official recording" was the HMV performance of Ein Heldenleben. If anything the Requiem would have also done him justice. Beecham was an excellent Berlioz conductor with recordings of many of the overtures, "Harold in Italy", and the Symphony Fantastique - to name a few.

The sound (at least on my CD) is quite acceptable considering that it is doubtful that the BBC went all out for the "state of the art" at that period. Nevermind the coughing and hacking that preceeds and follows each movement; it merely adds to the fact that this is a live performance. The Dies Irae leading to the Tuba Mirim builds up to the point where you *know* that you have finally reached judgement day. The chorus and orchestra, not to mention the four brass bands and sixteen timpani are of high quality with an excellent sense of dynamics throughout the performance.

Thankfully the BBC has permitted this performance along with the memorable concert including the Beethoven 7th to be released on Audio. One can now hope that the equally powerful performance that Beecham did of the Beethoven 9th will also be released (if it hasn't all been all ready).

Those who admired Beecham must include this in their collection. Those who want an outstanding performance of a magnificant work despite the fact that it is "live" should also include it in their collection. Unlike so many recored performances that can be spliced and "put together" a live performance has a magical quality that canned music simply can not equal.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beecham's Berlioz Requiem, May 11, 2005

By 

Jeffrey Lipscomb (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Berlioz: Grande Messe des Morts (Audio CD)

Over the years I have accumulated several recordings of the Berlioz "Grande Messe des Morts." I learned the work via its first recorded performance, a WW II Paris reading conducted by Jean Fournet (Columbia LPs). Then along came the celebrated Charles Munch/BSO account (RCA LPs), followed by Hermann Scherchen's (recorded for Westminster LPs at Les Invalides, where the Requiem was premiered). I knew of this "live" 1959 Beecham account - it circulated in the private tape "underground" - but the sound was reportedly dreadful and I never acquired a copy.

Now, thanks to BBC Legends, this magnificent Beecham account is finally available in EXCELLENT mono sound. It was Beecham's final concert in London's Royal Albert Hall, and the sense of atmosphere is palpable. From the very opening phrases, this is a simply spellbinding performance. Beecham's meticulous orchestral weightings give us the Berlioz "sound" in spades, and the Royal Philharmonic plays its hearts out for him (just listen to those lusty brass outbursts!). The choral work is first rate (preferable, I think, to the New England Conservatory Chorus under Munch), and the tempos strike me as perfectly judged (unlike the rather eccentric Scherchen's). Richard Lewis sings beautifully in the Sanctus, even though I slightly prefer two other tenors here (Leopold Simoneau with Munch, and Georges Jouatte in the Fournet set). And just listen to the Agnus Dei (from about 4:30 into it): if this doesn't bring tears to your eyes, nothing will.

As Requiems have a way of reminding us, life is too short. If I could have just one recorded performance of the Berlioz Requiem, then let it be Beecham's.

Highest recommendation.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than a Beecham souvenir (but there are limits), March 14, 2006

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Berlioz: Grande Messe des Morts (Audio CD)

The Berlioz Requiem has become such a staple as a sonic spectcular that it seems improbable to buy a radio broadcast in mono from 1959. BBC Legends released this Beecham performance in tribute to his last public appearance in Albert Hall and, of course, his deified position in British musical life. A lot is lost in the dated sonics, which strongly favor the chorus. But for its era the sound is clear and detailed, with sufficient bass, and the chorus is among the best on records for clear enunciation of the text.

One notices also that these men and women sing as if the Requiem was deeply personal for each of them. The words are dramatized even in the quietest passages, which does a lot to give the performance its emotional impact - you'll never hear more courageous tenor singing as they cry from the soul. Beecham may have been a self-taught conductor, but he had an innate musicality that tells in his shaping of the vocal lines here--one never feels that the music is sagging or a bit threadbare, which is too often the case. His overall manner is urgent and expressive, another huge plus. The Royal Phil. plays very well although not in the same league as the BSO or Berlin Phil. in their recordings under Ozawa and James Levine respectively. In all, what we get is a gripping performance that transcends its sonic limitaitons once you get into the spirit of Beecham's musicmaking.