Customer Reviews

Verdi - Requiem / Fleming · Borodina · Bocelli · D'Arcangelo · Gerviev

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Given the splendor of Gergiev, Fleming and Borodina this recording has been highly touted. BIG disappointment......While Gergiev's operatic approach is viable, this performance is like a string of stop and go ideas. Yes Fleming and Borodina maintain their reputations, as does bass D'Arcangelo, but when will record producers stop pulling Bocelli out of his Pop element and let him blast away at ballads instead of blistering opera? This ends up being a commercial vehicle for Bocelli fans instead of a contribution to the bulging ranks of recorded Verdi Requiems. Makes you wonder why Gergiev consented to record this. Pass......

With a broken I am forced to give just three stars to a recording that, just a month after its release, it's becoming an (infamous) legend. First of all, all the criticism and rage unleashed by the decision of Phillips to put Bocelli in this recording will never be enough to make up for this most disrespectful act of musical vandalism. Disrespect to Gergiev, to Fleming, to Borodina, to D'Arcangelo but, especially, to Verdi and the Requiem. We are not talking of a tenor here, we are talking of some crooner who, by I don't know what life chances, got his way up to the top of the pop world. Excuses like Bocelli sings with "passion and heart" or that Phillips and Gergiev wanted to "experiment" and "humanize" the Requiem by trying to depict the suffering of real people through the voice of Bocelli are just non-sense. This was just a commercial decision where I'm almost sure Maestro Gergiev had little influence. Phillips just put over his shoulders the ungrateful task of getting the best out of this pseudo singer. Verdi would have never tolerated such an "experiment". He loved the human voice too much to have authorized the participation of a crooner in a work that is basically about voices. It will never be enough to insist, once and again, on the operatic nature of the Requiem. Every segment of the Requiem is a "mini-drama" where the voice must be put into the service of the drama. No wonder why the great interpreters of the Requiem had been the great verdian singers of all times: Leontyne Price, Zinka Milanov, Montserrat Caballe, Jussi Bjoerling, Carlo Bergonzi, just to name a few. If the person who wrote that Phillips is experimenting with a new form of viewing the Requiem is right, this is an experiment that should be resisted and rejected. The Requiem does not need such an "ambassador" to get "popularized". The music is magnificent enough. Even the most stupid person in the world would fall under the spell of this piece without the help of signor Bocelli. Even the most blinded Bocelli groupie would realize the difference a real tenor voice makes in this music. But the harm has been done and we will have to live with it. So, let's see the positive things of this disaster.

First and foremost, there is Renee Fleming. Fleming is the most amazing artist to have come in many years. She is the owner of the most beautiful soprano voice I've heard since Caballe. And, as Caballe, she has the most amazing breathing technique in the world today. It is as if she were not breathing. The length of her phrases is amazing, the phrasing sublime. The luminosity of her pianissimi is something the world had not heard since Milanov and Caballe's great days (one just thinks if one day she'll sing Aida's arias, or Leonora's "D'amor sull'ali rosee"). Most amazing of all, what Fleming does here is what you get in the concert hall. Just yesterday (April 29, 2001) I heard her at Carnegie Hall in the Requiem with the Met orchestra under Levine. No studio tricks, no miking, just Fleming soaring over the orchestra, pianissimo after pianissimo. This is the stuff legends are made from... I don't think (as Anne Midgette of the New York Times wrote last week reviewing this recording) that when she tries to be dramatic it's in detriment of her beauty of tone. Not at all, no way...Fleming's luminiscence and sensuousness is her trademark in everything she does, even in the most manic passages of her "Libera me".

Borodina, oh...Borodina. She is pure class and elegance, the rolls-royce of mezzos today. The most incredible and beautiful mezzo voice. No flaws, no wobbles, no detectable passaggi. Her voice is amazingly even all along the tessitura. The most beautiful voice in the service of verdian drama. An ideal match made in heaven. This recording documents the chemistry between Borodina and Fleming. Some wise producer should take notice of it and match them again in some duets recording: What about Anna Bolena and Jane Seymour's duet from Donizetti's "Anna Bolena"? or Maria Stuarda and Elisabetta's confrontation scene from Donizetti's "Maria Stuarda" ("Figlia impura di Bolena..." can you imagine?)? or Semiramide and Arsace's "Serbami Ognor" from Rossini's "Semiramide"?

In sum, if this recording deserves three stars it's because these two fabulous ladies. So, now go to the recording and let them speak for themselves.

This Philips recording is with the Kirov Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Valery Gergiev, and featuring soloists Renee Fleming, Olga Borodina, Andrea Bocelli, and Ildebrando D'Arcangelo. The Requiem is a stunning work, arguably Verdi's finest, and much recorded. What, then, is the draw of this particular performance? Not the Kirov Orchestra, who do a fine job but are not one of the major symphony orchestras today. And certainly not the Kirov Chorus, whose articulation and enunciation are so consistently overpowered (even when they sing a capella!) that they might as well be singing a vocalise without text. No, the selling point must be tenor Andrea Bocelli, whose popularity seems to know no bounds. Although Bocelli's inclusion in this performance is undoubtedly its planned attraction to the music buying public, it is a very controversial choice. Certain purists regard Bocelli as a pop singer and pretender to the world of "serious music" and doubt his ability to equal his fellow soloists, particularly Renee Fleming and her lovely voice, who performs superbly here. I must admit to qualms about Bocelli--I am not a fan of his previous work, and when I heard his first entrance in this recording I had my worst suspicions seemingly confirmed. But as I listened further, I had to admit that I had been suffering from prejudice. While Bocelli's voice is unique, with a particularly reedy sound, most of the time he sounds in fine voice and blends quite well with the other soloists, only occasionally seeming somewhat out of context. For all of Bocelli's faults, few opera singers can lay claim to never rolling an "r" too heavily, or scooping up to a pitch too enthusiatically. And let's not forget that Verdi was the popular music of his day and place, so Bocelli's background is perfectly appropriate. Listen to the Lacrimosa, one of my favorite sections, featuring the four soloists, or the Ingemisco, and see if you agree. All in all, though, is Bocelli enough to recommend this disc? I think not. Although I love the Verdi Requiem passionately and think it is one of the greatest pieces ever composed, there are better performances available. If you are a Bocelli fan, or a fan of one of the other soloists, then get this disc. Otherwise, I'd recommend trying another performance.

Universal has used its PR department to hype a substandard performance of the Verdi Requiem. They obviously do not care about music - they care only about capitalizing on Bocelli's popularity. This performance is perhaps the worst of the worst! Bocelli lacks the weight, nuance, tone and musicianship necessary to sing the tenor part in the Requiem. As for Gergiev and the others - they should hang their head in shame. How anyone like Renee Fleming could participate in a recording like this mystifies me. Anyone who wishes to buy a truly great performance of this work should search [...] for the newly reissued Giulini/Philharmonia on EMI or the Ormandy/Philadelphia recording on Sony or the Muti/Philharmonia on EMI Forte. This recording is just plain POOR!

No, don't even try it. Leave this recording right where it is. Verdi's Requiem is too great a masterpiece to tolerate this disrespect.

The following have recorded the tenor role in Verdi's Missa da Requiem at least once: Francisco Araiza, Edmund Barham, Carlo Bergonzi, Jussi Björling, Andrea Bocelli, Luca Canonici, Carlo Cossutta, Anton Dermota, Placido Domingo, Roumen Doykov, Franco Farina, Eugenio Fernandi, Nicolai Gedda, Donald George, Beniamino Gigli, Franco Lo Giudice, Jerry Hadley, César Hernández, Helmut Krebs, Veriano Luchetti, Walther Ludwig, Aquiles Machado, Bruno Madeira, Gianni Mongiardino, Keith Olsen, Vincente Ombuena, Luigi Ottolini, Luciano Pavarotti, Giacinto Pradelli, Helge Roswaenge, Gabriele Sadé, Giuseppe di Stefano, Alexander Stevenson, Richard Tucker, Louis Van Tulder, Jon Vickers, Fritz Wunderlich, Alexander Young, and Giuseppe Zampieri.

Only one of them required electronic amplification in order to be heard: Andrea Bocelli. In referring to this recording (Philips 468079) as "The Ultimate Verdi Requiem," Philips' marketers are implying that the amateurish comprimario can carry his weight in the company of Araisa, Bergonzi, Björling, Domingo, Gedda, Gigli, Hadley, Pavarotti, Di Stefano, Tucker, Vickers, Wunderlich, et al.

Here's a prediction: Next year Michael Bolton will win a Grammy for his best-selling crossover album, My Favorite Wagnerian Arias!

Where's Florence Foster Jenkins when we need her?

Having read the reviews previously posted here, I had to stick my two bits in about this recording.
The good points: Firstly, Gergiev has a great concept of the work as a whole- he brings out the dramatic (and dare I say, operatic) elements of this great work and manages to pull them off. The gorgeous soprano of Renee Fleming absolutely shines here. Her rendition of the final "Libera Me" is quite dramatic and powerful. The Mezzo, Olga Borodina, is excellent as well. She has a gorgeous upper register. The Kirov players do a fantastic and electrifying job of bringing out the accents and fire of the score whilst still managing to play the delicate moments with as much quiet reverie as possible. The Bass, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, is no Talvela or Ramey but pulls off his part reasonably well.
The Bad points: Yes, I will agree, Bocelli brings this production down several notches. This is what happens when accountants start dictating terms to record companies. The artistic integrity of the work is severely comprimised by his appearance here. The recording engineers must also take a brickbat for adding far too much echo than needed- the climaxes ring on for years and also the diction of the chorus is totally lost.
In short, this is certainly worth a listen, but definately try before you buy. Not a first choice, maybe a second or third....

Firstly, this review is written for people unfamiliar with choral music, any true musical connoisseur knows better; secondly, it's not written to bash Bocelli, but frankly he has no business singing Verdi's Requiem, much less beside such talented artists like Fleming, Borodina and D'Arcangelo. The problem is the fact that this piece wasn't written for a tenor who needs a microphone and some serious singing lessons, it was written for one with a pure, powerful and educated voice; his interpretation is simply devoid of feeling.
I'm sure people who choose this as their first Requiem listening will be very disappointed with it; truly, Bocelli' voice sounds weak and the way he articulates the words sounds just plain bad. Ultimately, a great piece ruined (truly) for the sake of commercialism.

It's hard to believe that they actually did it. Not that long ago, the Philips name meant high quality recordings with distinguished artists. Not so anymore, and worst of all is that an excellent artist like Valery Gergiev went along with them. Can you imagine a Toscanini or a De Sabata going for a Mario Lanza instead of a Di Stefano or a Bjöerling? We all know what Bocelli sounds like, so I will not comment a sadly incompetent performance. Renee Fleming sings ravishingly without having the ideal power of a Zinka Milanov or a Leontyne Price. Olga Borodina is also very nice. The bass is only adequate. But there ARE good tenors around. Has Philips heard of Ramón Vargas or Marcelo Alvarez? They are the real thing. The tenor part is much too important to accept a pop idol in it. Please look elsewhere: if you want a great Requiem there is the EMI/Giulini, the De Sabata and the DG/Fricsay versions. If you want digital sound the 1984 Karajan recording has a fine solo quartet and there is also the fiery Gardiner recording with the marvelous Monteverdi Choir singing their hearts out (when Philips still was a decent company).

The good points:The exquisite voice of Renee Fleming(what in god's name is she doing on this recording?)and an excellent and spirited performance by the Kirov orchestra and chorus.The bad:Not so much Bocelli's singing(faux Enrique Iglesias crooning)as the decision of the higher ups at Phillips to stoop and give more momentum to the worsening plague of "crossover" albums;a marketing con that sticks pop music performers into the classical world and vice versa.Naturally, the result of this abominable crossbreeding is compromised standards,compromised integrity and a spate of cd's useful only as drink coasters.We can stop this insidious plague by not buying these gimmicky recordings.I've learned my lesson the hard way;don't waste your money on this tripe.If you want a great recording of the requiem try Solti's Vienna Philharmonic version or the immaculate Robert Shaw 1987 Telarc disc.