Customer Reviews

Durufle: Requiem, Mass-Con Jubilo, Motets / Plasson, von Otter

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4 star:		(1)
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I've listened to 4 different recordings of Durufle's Requiem closely: Santa Cecilia National Academy Orchestra Rome with Cecilia Bartoli and Conducted by Myung-Whun Chung, Voices of Ascension Chorus & Orchestra with Patricia Spence and Conducted by Dennis Keene, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus with Judith Blegen and Conducted by Robert Shaw, and this one. And I have to say that this is my favorite. The textures are richer and the performances by the orchestra and choir are better than the others. I will admit though that Cecilia Bartoli gets my vote for most beautiful performance of the Pie Jesu, but Anne Sofie von Otter's rendition is also very nice.
However, if you're looking for just one recording of Durufle's Requiem, this should be the one.

This is one of the most beautiful CDs on the face of the planet. Durufle, a composer of the French Organ School, was a composer who possessed much reserve and this shows through in the restrained beauty of his music. Of particular interest is Track 16, UBI CARITAS--Durufle as well as the chorus are at their best here. The chorus sings the beautiful motet gently and with much feeling. The sublime beauty of this work of art instantly brings Durufle as an equal to that of Mozart, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, and Beethoven. This music is not for those who like humungous bangs but rather those who can appreiate the quiet dignity of this man's work.

Whether it's choirs that don't know how to blend, an orchestra that doesn't know how to stay together, or any combination of choirs and instrumentalists that don't know how to play in tune, this gorgeous piece in its full orchestral version does not yet appear to have received the treatment it so desperately needs. Sadly, this recording is no exception. In fact, it is one of the worst offenders: French Horns that sound like they're playing in a closet, an orchestra that can't keep the tempo together, subtleties inherent in the music that are entirely missed. Someday someone is going to do justice to this beautiful piece, and give it the interpretation it deserves.

I decided to buy this recording when I heard one of the cuts, Ubi Caritas, played on the radio on Holy Thursday. I've sung this piece a number of times, but here was a recording that was so intensely, deeply spiritual and reverent, it made you stop to pray along with it. The entire album is up to the same standard. The performance, the sound quality and ambience will make you think you're in a church with all the right acoustics. A definitely a "must" for admirers of Durufle's music.

If you're a fan of requiems (especially the ones made by Brahms, Faure, and Berlioz) then you'll love this one by Maurice Durufle. It sounds so angelic and passionate. Michel Plasson's superb handling of the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse and the Orfeon Donostiarra gives makes this piece of work shine with full fervor and magnificence. The vocal soloists, von Otter and Hampson, never miss a step. This is a beautiful, but sometimes neglected, requiem, and it should be more recognized from outside of France.

I love this composition and its rendition by Michael Plasson. However, the inept sound recording used on this CD greatly reduces its value. Wish it were issued on SACD.

This is perhaps one of the world's most beautiful and compelling music. Durufle gives us the mist of heaven in these songs, his composition original and dynamic. The music flows like water yet intense and rich. If Christ were alive today, this music would follow him. Never overbearing but powerful and sincere, Durufle could not have imagined how wonderful his masterpiece would continue to impress. A must have for all musical buffs and classical fans alike.