Mozart - Requiem / Augér, Bartoli, Cole, Pape, Solti

Cecilia Bartoli (Artist), Arleen Auger (Artist), Vinson Cole (Artist), Rene Pape (Artist), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Georg Solti (Conductor), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsoperchor (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsoperchor
• Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Georg Solti
• Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Audio CD (March 10, 1992)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca / London
• ASIN: B0000041ZS
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,423 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #1 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Featured Performers, A-Z > A to B > Bartoli, Cecilia > All Works Featuring Bartoli
  • #1 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Bartoli, Cecilia
  • #4 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Masses

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very special performance of Mozart's Requiem, November 17, 2005

By 

Valerie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mozart - Requiem / Augér, Bartoli, Cole, Pape, Solti (Audio CD)

This is a very special performance of Mozart's Requiem, performed for 200 years anniversary of his death, what is remarkable is the fact that it was performed as a real liturgical mass for the dead. Too often we forget that this is a sacred piece, after hearing it so many times in concert halls, it is very sobering to find it placed in the proper context. The opening sound is not of the first bars of Introitus but the cathedral bells, it's little startling, but it sets the right mood perfectly.
This Requiem was recorded live in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, with George Solti as conductor. He died quite soon after this event, I wonder if he thought about his death when he did this recording.
The orchestra he conducts plays great, and the chorus is very good, especially in Kyrie, one of the best I have ever heard. The soloists are wonderful, soprano Arleen Auger, mezzo Cecilia Bartoli, tenor Vinson Cole, and especially bass Rene Pape, you can easily hear why he became so famous since then, he has a gorgeous, deep bass and sings great. Cecilia's singing is just as good, she sings her lines a little different from what you may be used to, just listen to the way she goes down on the word "debit" in Tuba Mirum, even if you have heard this Requiem in hundred different version before, you will really like this fresh approach.
If you are looking for a remarkable performance of Mozart's Requiem, this is a perfect choice. I can't believe that someone would complain about the "verbal pauses"- that is how Requiem is supposed to be performed. This is like a proper funeral for Mozart, he might have been buried in a mass grave after he died, and only 200 years later we finally paid our respect to him with this grand performance. I am just glad he left us this beautiful music.

71 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Mozart Requiem recording available, April 23, 2003

By 

Daniel Graser "saxgod685" (Wappingers Falls, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mozart - Requiem / Augér, Bartoli, Cole, Pape, Solti (Audio CD)

What an event this is. Solti is in top form here conducting the Vienna Philharmonic in a very powerful and fiery performance of this most famous of requiems. While some conductors take the Kyrie pretty slow, Solti kicks it in high gear and keeps it moving. The soloists are all magnificent especially Cole and Pape. The Dies Irae and the Confutatis are more powerful here than I have ever heard them before. The chorus is very fine and sings with power and a lovely round sound. The Lacrymosa and Domine Jesu are incredibly beautiful. This is probably the 2nd best Mass recording ever, right behind Barenboim's Verdi Requiem recording. Get them both and be prepared to be moved in a way you never thought possible.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best recording of Mozart's Requiem, May 23, 2006

By 

The Cultural Observer - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mozart - Requiem / Augér, Bartoli, Cole, Pape, Solti (Audio CD)

Near the end of Solti's illustrious career, I believe that Solti had developed an unparalleled understanding of Mozart's music that allowed him to bring musical and dramatic perfection to his works. While Solti's earlier recordings show a conductor who heavy handedly conducted Mozart as if it were Wagner, the later recordings (especially those after the births of his daughter Claudia and Gabrielle) sound more tamed, more musical, more religious. Solti was famous for his innate sense of rhythm, and not only does his music come to perfection (it does, but unlike Karajan, his music is full of life), but it also allows the meaning of the score to jump out of the page and affect the listeners. This, I can say about his Mozart requiem. I find that the recording is very heartfelt and dramatic where needed. The soloists, as expected of the standard that Solti would choose, are excellent. The chorus, orchestra, and conductor all come together to make a great enterprise such as this work, and for Mozart, Solti does work.