13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Singing for the Angels, July 26, 2002
This review is from: Faure: Requiem, Op. 48; Durufle: Requiem, Op. 9 (Audio CD)
Frankly, this review should begin and end with the advice to listen to the fourth sample offered here "Pie Jesu" as sung by the celestial soprano Lucia Popp. If that doesn't have you nearly weeping and struggling to find the "buy-it-now" button through your tears, you are made of sterner stuff than I.
Who was Lucia Popp? She was a Slovenian soprano, born in 1939 and alas, she went to sing for the angels in 1993. She had a typically bright Slavic soprano, with an almost crystalline metallic tone that served well for many sacred works and also for such pieces as the childlike hymn at the end of Mahler's Fourth Symphony. She was also able to create a warmer, less ringing tone, so could sing anything from intimate lieder to the vocally vicious role of Mozart's Queen of the Night.
And Faure's Requiem? Faure achieved something magical with this work, and the Pie Jesu has to be one of the most wonderful sacred works for solo voice written since Mozart's Exultate Jubilate.
I recommend this recording for not only Popp's sublime sound, but Colin Davis' excellent direction. It is superb.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Durufle's Masterpiece still sounding well after 25 years, September 21, 2002
This review is from: Faure: Requiem, Op. 48; Durufle: Requiem, Op. 9 (Audio CD)
I've heard or owned about 8 recordings of the French 20th-Century composer Maurice Durufle's deeply moving Requiem. At the risk of sounding like some kind of a "Classical Music Heretic", I find the more popular Faure Requiem to be pleasant, but without the same depth. On the other hand, Durufle's highly underrated Requiem is the true Masterpiece represented here.
Creatively & emotionally, Durufle created something far more unique; there are chilling depths of sadness, higher peaks of ecstatic joy, and many, reflective moments in between, which, Faure's piece just never quite reach for me. Faure took the Centuries-old text of the Requiem; primarily sad and terrifying, and made it something which might comfort the living who remained behind. This WAS a new idea, and while the Faure may have been ahead of its time in concept, the Durufle Requiem goes further. Durufle took this idea of Faure's, daringly fused it with Gregorian chant, 20th-Century concepts, Pentatonic and Medieval musical scales, and combined all this with with every range of human emotion. It may be one of the first Choral works of 20th-Century to reflect upon ancient Medieval Chant. These are a some reasons why the Durufle was so ahead of its time.
Though this recording is nearly twenty five years old now, & was made just before digital recording became standard, it more than makes up for it in its lush performance. Kiri Te Kanawa reaches perfection in the "Pie Jesu" solo, and the woodwinds are clear & strikingly serene throughout the work. The Agnus Dei is superb, with a repeating musical "round" motif which repeats with gentle, plucked strings. To my ears, Durufle created a gentle "Spinning Wheel of Life" with this motif, ending the movement with a peaceful, clear oboe at the end. Very serene, very comforting. Durufle does not stop there, as he does create moments of great fear as in the "Libera Me", but always he follows quickly with Peace, Reflection & Consolation.
Nearly every movement is flawlessly performed. The first two movements will bring all but the hardest heart to tears, especially the last minute when the woodwinds come into focus. And the Lux Aeterna movement at the end, with boys choir & quiet reassuring strings & harp, give a profound sense of Hope.
"Transparency", the ability to easily to hear all vocal scoring, is always difficult to achieve in large choral/orchestral works. Though this Davis recording isn't as "transparent" as the Robert Shaw's Atlanta Symphony large orchestral version, it is still magnificent. In summary, Not perfect, but very, very close. I cannot recommend this more, and recently, I've seen that this recording has slipped out-of-print; so I urge you to pick this version while you still can.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An inspirational, satisfying album, November 3, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Faure: Requiem, Op. 48; Durufle: Requiem, Op. 9 (Audio CD)
The dynamic range is incredible in Durufle's Sanctus; I cannot adequately describe how Faure's Sanctus touched me spiritually. So much beauty, and such wonderful soloists, all of them are. I especially enjoyed Lucia Popp's rendition of Faure's "Pie Jesu" ... I'm speechless. The Agnus Dei in the Faure was also beautiful -- but wait -- each track on this CD is!
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