Customer Reviews

Mozart: Requiem / Exsultate Jubilate

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

At first, I was a little apprehensive about buying this particular recording of Requiem because there weren't any audio samples available. But, after sampling about 20 other versions of "Kyrie Eleison," I still couldn't find an interpretation that I liked. So, I decided to take a risk and purchase this value-for-money version of the Requiem.

Well, it turned out to be the best $7 I ever spent on a CD. The rendition of the Kyrie was exactly the way I wanted it. The rest of the recording was pure beauty, too -- covering an entire range of emotion without fudging on the mechanics. Even the fast passages are delivered with striking clarity.

I wouldn't know if this is THE authoritative recording of Mozart's Requiem, but if you want to get one for under $10, this is the one to buy.

This is the most wonderful CD I own! I have always loved Mozart's Requiem and this is one of the best recordings I have ever heard of it. The best recording of one of the best peices of music ever written! The Exsultate Jubilate is wonderful as well, I was very much impressed with Erika Koth's lovely voice. I only wish she had made more recordings. The long and short of the matter is that you cannot go wrong buying this CD.

I sang the Mozart Requiem in Carnagie Hall last summer, and I must say it is the most amazing piece of work I have ever done. I have never heard a better recording of this anywhere--and I have several of them. It's absolutely amazing.

this is the kind of performance that made all the hair on the back of my neck stand up. i stopped what i was doing, stood still and let it go through me. the best recording of the 'requiem' i have ever heard.

I must say, Giulini has done a great job keeping this piece light and lively in the style of the Classical period without losing it's deep and emotional flavor. Unlike some recordings of Mozart's monumental Requiem, which are normally too heavy and brooding, the Philharmonia has got the idea right. I'm sure Mozart would be pleased with this interpretation. As for the singers, Christa Ludwig is in top form as usual, Robert Lloyd is a great baritone, the tenor Robert Tear does a decent job, and Helen Donath is a sweet soprano. The price is a good bargain.

My gripes are with the blatty trombone in Tuba Mirum, and Erika Koth's vibrato in Exultate Jubilate, which is too fast. Also, her voice is almost sickly sweet at times.

i am only 18 and i usually don't like this kind of music but i love this CD. i heard it once and i just had to buy it. just put it in and press play and sit back and listen. there is no need to skip tracks because all the tracks are awesome. it is just a shame that he did not get to finish this work. but what he did do was truely wonderful.

Aside from being such a powerful peice in it of itself, this recording makes use of the requiem's nature, which is a funeral mass. Balatsch (chorus-master) and Giulini (orchestra conductor) create such dramatic dynamics that it actually seems like the chorus and orchestra are crying to the heavens.

The Kyrie Eleison, for example, can be heard on other recordings as very meccanico and boring. But, on this recording, each voice screams, as though trying to out sing the other voices and creating a whirlwind of chaos, begging for mercy (which is what the lyrics mean) and converging into cadence. That's only about 3 minutes. The whole 55 min. will leave you speechless (if not singing along, as I do).

Exsultate Jubilate is a bonus that just makes this recording more worthwhile. I enjoyed hearing a coloratura sing this peice for a change because Koth's voice is very crisp, clear, and understandable. She also takes advantage of her high vocal range during her 8 second solo, which brings a bit of levity into the peice. Aside from the vocals, the peice is performed in a light and quick tempo, which really emphasizes the joy in this peice. Writen at his 17th year of age, it also gives a more youthful perspective at Mozart's work in comparison to the requiem, written during the last few days of his life.

Overall, I highly recommend this recording to anyone, from the classical music buff to the angry goth-rock teenager.

This is the best recording I've heard of Mozart's Requiem. (I've heard about 4 or 5, including the live version on the London label featuring Sir Georg Solti recorded live in the chapel.) This one absolutely puts the more expensive London recording to shame. It is executed flawlessly.

There is a nice little bonus as the last track. The singer has an angelic voice with just the right amount of vibrato. To me, nothing ruins classic vocal works like some overzealous Italian with so much vibrato that you can't actually tell which note it is supposed to be.

This recording is worth at least triple what Amazon is getting for it. (But I hope they don't get any funny ideas all the same.)

Buy this without any doubts; you will thank me later.

Two of Mozart's most impressive works in one recording. Especially for this price, it's a must-have. The requiem was performed beautifully. The interpretation was wonderful, the soloists were solid, the choir was clean, and the overall feel was beautiful. The Exsultate, however, was questionable. The soloist has "shotgun" vibrato, resulting in a lack of clarity especially in many of the quick melismatic passages. Additionally the sound is more light than I like, or than what I feel to be appropriate for a Mozart work, but that is something of a personal preference.

I originally picked up this CD based on a friends recommendation. The first three opening pieces are excellent and very moving. I love listening to this CD and recommend it to anyone looking for an excellent recording and performance of this piece.