Customer Reviews

Gabriel Faure: Requiem; Pavane; Bach: Magnificat

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4 star:		(4)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Can great conductors get it all wrong and ruin great music? The answer is, Yes. Bernstein's Enigma Variations and Symphony Pathetique, Celibidache's Symphony Pathetique, Maazel's Mahler 3rd, to name a few, but this performance of Faure's Requiem is by far the worst I've come across.

The introduction and Kyrie starts off promisingly with lots of weight and solemn atmosphere, but you soon realise the tempo is too sluggish and by the time you reach 8th minute of the track, you may fall asleep. But, those who could manage to keep awake must endure 9'59" of Offertoire, which just drags on and on, Fischer-Dieskau's solo singing is superb though. Edingburgh Festival Chorus sings 'Sanctus' most beautifully and the music is presented in magnificent grandeur. Sheila Armstrong's opera diva rendition of 'Pie Jesu' completely spoils the sublime serenity of the music. 'Agnus Dei' is paced very slowly and sung in deeply reverent atmosphere, but just like the opening, it's too weighty and it is more like a choral scene from a Wagner opera, followed by full-blown Wagnerian rendition of 'Libera me' by Fischer-Dieskau. The chorus, on the other hand, sings as if in one of Verdi's operas, with too much passion and verve. The only saving grace in the entire performance is the sublime rendition of 'In Paradisum' where you can at last breathe a sigh of relief, realising the end is nigh.

Nobody doubts today that Barenboim is one of the great conductors - in fact he is the last living conductor of the great German tradition starting from Furtwangler, but in this particular performance, he misjudges everything and makes too much of the solemn ceremony and Wagnerian drama out of the music, completely misunderstanding the composer's vision. Faure intended this requiem to reflect death as a consummation of life, a peaceful resting place, not the anguish and the gravity of the traditional requiem. If you encounter the music for the first time and come to believe this is a great recording, it would be a great tragedy. This performance can cause the composer come out of his grave!

I chose this CD because I sang the two main pieces in choir in the last year. I like the music and I like the combination. One word of caution--the dynamic range of the Requiem is so great that you probably need a good speaker system to fully appreciate it. On my little boombox, the quiet parts tended to get lost, unless I cranked it up a lot, and then I was afraid the loud parts would damage my speakers. My other "complaint" is that the piece sandwiched between these two sacred pieces seems to be a secular work; I would rather have had another sacred piece, although I find the music hauntingly beautiful and apt to get stuck in my head!

I was very pleased to find this recording, as my choral group was performing both of the pieces featured together on this CD. It arrived in a few days and in perfect condition.

First I have to admit that I have not bought this CD, but have bought a CD with this recording of Faure's Requiem on a CD with two other requiem masses.

While this is by no means the best recording of the Requiem it is an interesting interpretation. Barenboim's version is sound but he brings little new to this much performed work. The soloists are very fine, but one gets the feeling that this is a mixture of other interpretations- Fischer-Dieskau is OK, but he does not shine as in the Cluytens version. Likewise the soprano has a very fine voice, but the interpretation is relatively average- it neither has resoundingly beautiful vibrato or phrasing, nor is it as pure and unfussed as those who sing it without vibrato. Nevertheless it is still moving.

A very middle of the road performance! Buy it if you like, but its not a must- I expected more from Barenboim.

The Barenboim directed rendition of Faure's Requiem is slow and ponderous. I urge anyone who is interested in this magnificent music to obtain the recording of John Rutter. I have several versions of the Requiem but none match the Rutter performance.

The balance of this CD is fine.

Faure's Requiem is certainly one of the better religious pieces composed in the last century. The mood of the piece is one of the things that grabs you immediately: it is really quite happy for a Requiem mass piece. Death is seen as something beautiful or joyful in a moving way. Faure's piece, though, has absent some of the most appealing aspects of Mozart's phenomenal Requiem Mass. Mozart's has such a haunting, astoundingly beautiful, dark depth to it. Death is something ultimately serious yet the passage into it can be something wondrous beyond imagination for the righteous . His entire Mass conveys a sort of awe-inspiring triumph into the afterlife whereas Faure's seems to view it as mere passage to a much better place it seems.

The deep male voices throughout the piece, but especially in the "Agnus Dei" appeal greatly. The "Pie Jesu" is nice as well.

Overall, Faure's Requiem is a very moving piece yet not good as Mozart's Requiem. If you are looking to add another good requiem piece to your collection get this one; if you are wanting the best available, though, get Mozart's.