Customer Reviews

Mozart: Requiem

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The first time I listened to Mozart's Requiem was on the radio ten years ago. My interest in the Requiem was piqued after watching the movie Amadeus (1984). That radio recording was the best version of the Requiem I have heard since and I found out that it was Peter Schreier's. It was hauntingly beautiful--the kind that slips you into a reverie where the contemplation of death becomes at once disturbing, mysterious, yet strangely soothing and awesome. It made me wonder how any mortal could take such thoughts and put them to such sublime music.

Only Mozart could compose such a work and Peter Schreier's interpretation is just right. I have made a special point of listening to as many versions of the Requiem since and none come close to Schreier's--not even Karajan's or Gardiner's.

John Eliot Gardiner's version would be my second choice, but I think period instruments and razor-sharp digital edge are unsuited for Mozart's Requiem. The musical subject matter is death, and Schreier's version gives proper treatment to it. Voices and orchestra are like a rolling wave: violent when it crashes; soothing when it recedes. It comes at you all at once in a great mass and slips slowly away.

The recording is digital, yet the balance of the orchestra is at once forward and blended superbly with the voices. There are frequent and dramatic changes of expression from delicate pianissimo (pp) to thundering fortissimo (ff). No section of the woodwinds, brass, or strings jut out conspicuously; lower-pitched instruments dominate throughout, as is appropriate for a requiem mass. It is like almost hearing the deep calm of rushing waters and underscores, I think, that imminent specter of death Mozart was contemplating. In fact, Mozart died before he could finish the Requiem. (Mozart left instructions for the work's completion to one of his students, who then finished and published it after Mozart's death)

The sections which illustrate the masterful balance achieved by Schreier and the Leipzig Radio Orchestra with the Dresden State Chorus are the Lacrimosa and the Confutatis. In the Confutatis, especially, when the movement changes pace with the tantalizing soprano and alto unison sequence after the vigorous frenzy by the bases and tenors--this section is particularly exquisite.

The vocalists, however, make this work truly sublime. Kudos to soprano Margaret Price. Her voice ascends into the heights without losing its richness or lustre. The best showcase for Price's ability, I think, is early in the first section (Introduction) where she has a short but lovely entrance. Theo Adam has a powerful Tuba Mirum and the Recordare features all four soloists at their best.

Mozart conceived of every possible emotion to death and then put it to glorious music. If death is a terrifying nightmare, then the wickedly bone-rattling Dies Irae and Rex Tremendae are unforgettable. If death is bereavement and grief, then the mournful Lacrimosa fits the bill. If death is to be endured with gritted teeth, the intensely austere Kyrie Eleison and roller-coaster Domine Jesu will certainly help. If death is peaceful tranquillity, then Recordare or Hostias bring sweetness. Finally, if death is to be seen as final victory, then Sanctus.

I feel that this is the best recording of Mozart Requiem available. I am disappointed that other recordings of the work have surpassed this one in popularity. If you have not heard this recording or are looking for just one version of Mozart's Requiem, then this one is it. Please do not let the relative obscurity of the conductor (Peter Schreier), the orchestra (Dresden State Orchestra) or the chorale (Leipzig Radio Chorus)take away from what an exceptional performance.

Enjoy!

I find this version above all others. I have heard Marriner's, Harnoncourt's, Abbado's, Sir Colin Davis', but I stay with Schreier's. I've never heard him conduct before, but I was really surprised with his version.
He gives all power and strenght requiered in parts like "Dies irae" or "Confutatis", while he also plays sweetly the "Lacrimosa". Never too fast, neither too slow.
I've got to say the Dresden Staatskapelle is terrific.
Going to the soloists.-

Theo Adam - Bass
Francisco Araiza - Tenor
Margaret Price - Soprano
Trudeliese Schmidt - Alto

Theo Adam has a more bariton voice, rather than a bass one. This make high notes sound with great power, but you can bearly hear low notes. Still, when you hear his "Tuba mirum", you end with eyes wide open.

Francisco Araiza has a voice which suits pretty well in my opinion. He is dramatic and powerful.

Margaret Price has the sweetest voice I ever heard. She gives every note with a unique colour.

Trudeliese Schmidt sings well, but there are no great parts for this voice.

If you are going to buy a Requiem.......BUY THIS ONE!!!

I have spent so long looking for recordings of Mozart's Requiem Mass that are worthy of a second listening, and THIS one of the very best. Finally someone has come along who is musically talented and spiritually sensitive enough to _almost_ NAIL this piece. In listening to most of Amazon's other recordings, I have cringed at bad tempo, bad pronunciation (e.g. the Latin word "spargens" is pronounced with a hard "g", not as in "sparjens," ugh, what are we speaking, French??), lack of expressiveness, lack of POWER, lack of imagination, and you name it. But the soloists in this recording are near perfect, the choir sections sing as ONE VOICE (none of this nonsense where you can hear individual primadonnas warbling away within the soprano section), the musicians are emotionally engaged in their music, and Schreier pulls everyone through a huge dynamic range, as is crucial for this piece. This performance exudes darkness, power, mystery, and triumph.

Even so, there ARE a few things that I would change: in the Tuba Mirum, the tuba should meld and intertwine with the voices, not drown them out, and the alto is too operatic--we need "big" without excessive vibrato...and the SOPRANO, who is at the peak of the Tuba ascension, should seem to be the most angelic voice on the planet, as if she is literally levitating over all, but alas, she sounds strained and her vowels all come out like "ooo." In the Kyrie, the "main" part tends to overwhelm the ear rather than simply being emphasized--we should distinctly hear all the parts and choose for ourselves which one to focus on. Finally, if I could give the choir a factor of TEN more power in the Rex, I would--the Rex should be absolutely overwhelming, I don't care if you have to bring in a whole extra choir just for that one piece.

But in the Domine Jesu, my hair was standing on end, it is exquisite!!!!! (Although I'm not sure what is the purpose of the sudden volume drop at ~2:27...there is no context for this...maybe a recording flaw?) The Benedictus is awash in blessings and forgiveness, and the Communio reaches such heights that I was afraid to look down. In this Mass, Mozart has made a documentary of the journey to heaven, and to our joy Schreier has been "faithful over a few things."

I must take a deep and grateful bow to Schreier and all of his musicians. In today's world of electronic manipulation, listeners don't always appreciate just how difficult it is to pull off this level of quality in a choral/orchestral performance, even with breaks between songs. I encourage all lovers of this Mass to try and sing in it one day--you will see that everyone was "on" the day they made this recording. It is an accomplishment of a lifetime.

...Oh yeah, the Coronation--that was good too. ;-)

This was the first recording of Requiem I ever heard (on vinyl, no less) and I will have no other. Schreier conducts a very dark, heavy recording which does not release it's hold on you for a second. That doesn't mean it all sounds the same - the solos are especially clear - but it does mean that you never forget that the Requiem is a mass for the dead. Theo Adam's Tuba Mirum is breathtaking.

I've 3 different recording of this work.
One with Karl Böhm on Deutsche Grammophon: There you will find good solists and good orchestra and so. Only one minor with it is the tempo: TOOO SLOW About 9-12 min longer than Peter Schreier's recording on Philips, and the sound is not so good like Philips.
One with Philippe Herreweghe on Harmonia Mundi: Here you will find good tempo, but not so great solists.
One on the Philips is this one. The Best of them three I have. This is one come back and back again. Very good sound and the orchestra is WOW good, tempos is not too fast and not too slow. The Best of Requiem is this one. One of my 100 favorite recordiongs. I have over 3000 cd's of classical music.

My points for all of the recordings are 1-10 for the preformings and 1-10 for the sound:
Deutsche Grammophon with Karl Böhm (9/8)
Harmonia Mundi with Philippe Herreweghe (9/8)
Philips with Peter Schreier (10/10) My favorite of these three.
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Peter Schreier's rendition of Mozart's final classical piece ranks among the best in stereo (Gardiner, Herreweghe, and Marriner). His handling of the Staatskapelle Dresden is flawless: he never misses a step, always keeps full control of the orchestra, and always manages to keep the tempi neither fast nor slow. The orchestra itself is fine: the strings and woodwinds are haunting and the brass and timpani are powerfully energetic. The choir of the Leipzig Radio is very good: maybe not as good as others, but still good. The soloist are almost excellent: Francisco Araiza knows his Mozart; Margaret Price has to be one of the best sopranos of this generation (so charming and so full of flair); Trudeliese Schmidt sounds a bit weak in the second half, but she's wonderful in the first; Theo Adam is as powerful as he was in a studio recording of Wagner's Ring cycle (conducted by Marek Janowski). As for the sound quality, it's fabulous: some of the minor details clearly stand out from the Dies Irae to the Lux Aeterna.

If you already own one or more Mozart Requiem CD, then add this to your collection. If you don't already own one, then I suggest you buy Philippe Herreweghe's version first, and then purchase Peter Schreier's version.

Requiem aeterna, Tuba Miren, and Rex Tremendae in this one are insuperable performances, I feel the alto and soprano performances deliver everytime, the Bass in the Tuba...raw-chilling power. Peter Scheirer covers up the seems between the choir, orchestra, and soloist performances. I highly recommend this version of the Requiem. Also recomnmend requiem by. Schuldt-Jensen, Morten Orchestra(s): Leipzig Chamber Orchestra Choir(s): Gewandhaus Chamber Choir Artist(s): Allan, Miriam; Buter, Anne; Snell, Martin; Ullmann, Marcus

Tengo varias versiones de esta obra. Sin embargo, me quedo con esta. Muy buen sonido y muy bien equilibrada, el coro suena de maravillas.

No doubt that this is a good performance. After listening to the Boehm performance for many years, I turned to this one.
However, this year I've found a performance that I love more than any other: The Fruhbeck de Borgos. Brisker tempos, without being hurried, very inspired with great concentration and completely compelling. Take this as a suggestion: Mozart: Requiem

In the whole history of Western music, there are many great works that stand out as monuments to the best in humanity, and which really cut to the heart of what matters the most. The Requiem of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of those works. The tragic irony, of course, is that Mozart himself didn't live long enough to complete the work (commissioned by a wealthy patron who routinely commissioned works by composers in order to pass them off as his own); and the Requiem that we all know and love was completed, though per Mozart's intentions, by a student of his, Franz Xaver Sussmayr. Inevitably, this makes the Requiem also one of the most controversial works in all of music history, especially in light of Peter Shaffer's 1979 play "Amadeus" (subsequently filmed by Milos Forman in 1984). But the controversies in no way diminish the impact the Requiem still has on the listener in times of extreme mourning, such as the recently passed tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on America.

Dozens upon dozens of recordings of this hugely popular work abound; and certainly one of the greatest is this 1982 recording that features vocal soloists Dame Margaret Price, Theo Adam, Trudeliese Schmidt, and Francisco Araiza, plus the Leipzig Radio Choir. The noted German tenor Peter Schreier, who himself has on his credits a number of appearances on various recordings of the Requiem as a vocal soloist, here assumes the role of the conductor, leading the world-renowned Dresden State Orchestra; and it is his experience in the vocal arena that helps make the balance between singers and orchestra so important in this performance of the Requiem. It may move a bit faster than some recordings, prior to or after (it runs just slightly over 51 minutes), but Schreier and his orchestral and choral forces don't zoom through this as if they're rushing off to a fire sale. The awesome scope of this piece is maintained from its chilling beginning to its ultimately triumphant conclusion.

Alongside Leonard Bernstein's significantly slower 1988 recording with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, this recording by Schreier and his forces must rank as one of the best modern recordings available. Mozart's Requiem is a work never to be forgotten, and this recording of it is one to be sought after.