Customer Reviews

Rutter: Requiem

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Anyone who has ever sung the Rutter `Requiem' gets it in their bones, and it stays there. This may not be the most profound Requiem ever composed, but it is certainly one of the most beautiful. There is a sort of symmetry with the appearance of this performance of the Requiem on Naxos. First, it is the version, available from the time of its original composition but never before recorded, for reduced forces; it uses organ and six instrumentalists (flute, oboe, cello, harp, timpani, percussion) as opposed to the more familiar version for medium-sized orchestra. Second, it is performed by musicians from Rutter's Cambridge alma mater, Clare College, where he read music as an undergraduate and where he was director of music in the late 1970s. And, finally, it has a certain resonance with what is probably Rutter's own most famous recording of music not his own, namely that of the Fauré Requiem. Rutter made an arrangement from the manuscript of the earlier 1893 version that Fauré made for reduced forces and he recorded that version for the first time. That recording changed our ideas about the Fauré; up to then we had known only the much larger version for full orchestra and chorus that he (or perhaps his student Roger-Ducasse) made for a performance in 1900. Rutter himself was producer of the present recording of his Requiem and therefore it obviously has his stamp of approval.

A comparison with the 1986 recording Rutter made with the Cambridge Singers and the London Sinfonia shows that the present performance is more delicate, more serene, and with even clearer diction than the earlier version. The organ fills in much of what was previously played by the orchestra, and it is played sensitively and with suitable restraint here by Nicholas Rimmer, an organ scholar at Clare College, Cambridge. The Clare College choir, unlike other Cambridge college choirs, has female sopranos, not boy trebles. The soprano soloist is Elin Manahan Thomas, and she is superb; in the Lux aeterna she surpasses Rutter's soloist in the ethereal beauty of her final ascending solo line. The playing of the cellist, Sue Dorey, in the 'Out of the Deep' section is eloquent.

The disc also contains two `Blessings for Choir and Organ' written specifically for Clare College: `Go forth into the world in peace' and `A Clare Benediction,' each achingly beautiful. It is touching to recall that Rutter's son Christopher sang these two pieces during the one year he was a singer in this choir, just before his death in a motor vehicle accident.

Also included are an Advent anthem, `Arise, shine,' set to the words of Isaiah 60, `Come down, O Love divine' set to an English translation of a 13th-century Latin text, and most fittingly, `Musica Dei donum optimi,' (`Music, the gift of the supreme God') which extols the power of music to make `savage souls gentle' and uplift `sad minds,' a transcendently lovely setting for choir and solo flute.

And finally, there are two pieces for organ alone, `Toccata in seven', a lively piece in 7/8 time and unusually, a duet for organ four-hands (and four-feet - talk about a traffic jam!) `Variations on an Easter Theme.'

This disc is lovely from start to finish and is enthusiastically recommended to choristers, organists, choir directors and, most of all, music lovers of all stripes.

Scott Morrison

In 1993 Naxos scored big with their recording of Faure's Requiem featuring the Schola Cantorum of Oxford and the Oxford Camerata under the direction of Jeremy Summerly. It was Faure's original "stripped-down" arrangement for smaller orchestral forces and it made both listeners and critics take notice. It continues to be one of the best versions - if not the best - out there.

Now, 10 years later, Naxos does it again with a new recording of John Rutter's Requiem, a work partially inspired by Faure's Requiem. As on the Faure release, this arrangement, conceived at the same time as Rutter's full orchestral version, is for smaller forces, especially in the orchestra (just organ, harp, flute, oboe, cello, timpani, and percussion). To me it packs a greater emotional punch in this stripped down, more intimate version. The Choir of Clare College, an ensemble that has a long history with Rutter, performs beautifully and is perfectly balanced in the recording: this music sounds as though it is coming down from heaven. On the Pie Jesu and Lux Aeterna movements I found myself holding my breath so as not to miss one note from soprano Elin Manahan Thomas: she's that good. (The Pie Jesu is also a highlight of the Faure disc with soprano Lisa Beckley equally impressive.)

The remaining seven items on the Rutter disc, if the Requiem isn't enough to win you over, are equally impressive with the Musica Dei donum for flute and choir providing another work of sublime beauty. The last two works on the disk are for solo organ and are world premier recordings. I actually prefer this Rutter produced disc to Rutter's Collegium label disc which couples the Requiem with the Magnificat. Get this disk!

This is truly a must-have album for lovers of Rutter's music, but my wife and I both felt that the soprano soloist was a weak link: her vibratoless voice is pretty, but high notes were often pinched and flat.

In my opinion, this copy of Rutter's Requiem is the best one available. The orchestra does not overpower the chorus. The soprano soloist, Elin Manahan Thomas, is sublime.

Beautiful is one of those words that I don't use often and I don't use lightly, but this recording of John Rutter's Requiem and other choral works is worthy of description with the full weight of the word. All seven movements of his magnificent requiem are flowing with rich, delicate beauty. Rutter uses the full palate that the orchestra and the chorus has to offer such as the light sustained oboe throughout "The Lord is My Shepherd" and the bellowing low cello in "Out of the Deep." It's cool to hear a mix of Latin and English texts throughout the work. The soprano solo on "Pie Jesu" is breathtaking and the work closes with the sonorous, harmonicaly rich "Lux aeterna." The "Sanctus" is triumphant and the incredibly haunting "Agnus Dei" sends chills up the spine. The main theme introduced in the first movement is just beautiful. I am sure that if I heard Rutter's Requiem performed live and well, it would certainly bring tears to my eyes. It is a simply beautiful piece of music and is very well interpreted on this album. There is an excellent attention to the text and the shape of the phrases. A truly wonderful recording.

As for the other works on this album, they are just as impressive. The bombastic, sonorous "Arise, Shine" has enough G-force to plaster you to the back of your seat. It is wonderful to listen to the dialog between the chorus and the flute in "Musica Dei donum." "A Clare Benediction" is absolutely beautiful, as is "Go Forth into the World With Peace." The chords in "Come Down O Lord Divine" are incredible.

As for the organ pieces, the "Toccata in Seven" is bright and exciting, though a little heavy in some sections. The epic "Variations on an Easter Theme" is just astounding. Rutter takes us through a labyrinth of harmonic and rhythmic variation on a simple theme with wild obligados, fierce runs, dynamic shifts, tense harmonies, argumentative counterpoint and lyrical melodies. This is an amazingly exciting piece with two organists using all eight of the appendages between the two of them to make some amazing music.

This is quite a great collection of great sacred music from one of the best composers around today. Not to mention, you cannot beat Naxos' value. For under 10 bucks, this CD is a must.

--Music--
Rutter's Requiem was written in 1985. In Catholic liturgy, a requiem is a Mass for the Dead, and as such involves strong tones both of mourning and loss as well as elements of hope and eternal life as reflected in Christian belief. Rutter states that, like Brahms and Faure, there are elements that depart from the traditional lines of a Catholic requiem. Rutter takes some of the texts from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. Both the first and second movements, Requiem aeternam and 'Out of the Deep', set very dark, low, sombre tones. The use of strings at the beginning of 'Out of the Deep' is very effective, together with funeral-dirge like vocals. This contrasts greatly with the Pie Jesu, light and spiritual. The Sanctus is almost playful in aspect, and the Agnus Dei and Lux aeterna draw the listener higher and higher into the fullness of expectation of God's presence.

--John Rutter--
Rutter was born in London and educated at Clare College, Cambridge. This was where his career as a composer, arranger and conductor began. His early work was with groups at King's College Chapel at Cambridge as well as the Bath Choir and Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked for the BBC providing music for educational series such as 'The Archaeology of the Bible Lands', until in 1979 he began forming the Cambridge Singers, and has continued a remarkable career of performance and recording as their director ever since.

This recording is produced by Rutter, but is performed by the London Sinfonia, a group that he has worked with but is not the usual Cambridge Singers. This performance compares favourably with Rutter's own group, with areas in which there is greater subtlety and depth.

This is the premiere recording of the chamber version of Rutter's sweet, simple and affecting Requiem, and is by far the most lovely recording of this score. The textures of the solo instruments combined with the strings, harp and organ (beautifully judged organ playing here) are simply exquisite, expressing the delicate, Faure-inspired heart of Rutter's score like never before. The soprano soloist is a delight, with two beautiful high notes, and much better than the soloist on Rutter's own first recording.

The companion pieces are all of great interest, revealing a musically more complex Rutter than is often heard, with none of the ocassionally cloying sweetness of his Christmas carols or music for children. They, like the Requiem, are well performed by the ideally sized ensemble and choir, with excellent diction, beautiful phrasing and some impressive singing. A highly recommended disc, perfect for some contemplative moments alone.

I purchased the Requiem CD after hearing one of the selections on NPR and enjoy every selection on the disc.

This CD has some of the most beautiful sacred music I have ever heard. Though a requiem is focused on a person's death, Rutter's Requiem leads you to consider the living Christ. "Requiem aeternam" and "Sanctus" are both uplifting and worshipful, and "Toccata in seven" is pure fun.

Most of the requiem composer took dramatic of the terror in the jugement days, however some of composer took the peaceful approach. And rutter is one of them.

This version is quite different compare to the orchestral version conductor by the composer himself. In this version the instrument is limit to a chamber music style, and the organ music in the background is quite similiar to the setting of faure's requiem.

I would personally recommend this version to the real requiem lover, for the other people who desire the music that you can blow off with terror, I sugest you look in to Verdi, and Berlioz!!!