Verdi: Requiem / Quattro Pezzi Sacri (Four Sacred Pieces) [Box set]

Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), John Eliot Gardiner (Conductor), Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique (Orchestra), Luba Orgonasova (Performer), Anne Sofie von Otter (Performer), Monteverdi Choir (Performer), Luca Canonici (Performer), Alastair Miles (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Luba Orgonasova, Anne Sofie von Otter, Monteverdi Choir, Luca Canonici, Alastair Miles
• Orchestra: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
• Conductor: John Eliot Gardiner
• Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
• Audio CD (April 11, 1995)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B00000418W
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,757 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Requiem

2. Dies Irae

3. Tuba mirum

4. Liber scriptus

5. Quid sum miser

6. Rex tremendae

7. Recordare

8. Ingemisco

9. Confutatis

10. Lacrymosa

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Ave Maria

2. Laudi alla Vergine Maria

3. Libera me

4. Lux aeterna

5. Stabat Mater

6. Te Deum

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very impressive!, December 19, 2000

By 

Tom Gauterin (Loughborough, Leics. United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Verdi: Requiem / Quattro Pezzi Sacri (Four Sacred Pieces) (Audio CD)

This is the first recording of Verdi's Requiem to be made using period instruments but, if that makes you wonder whether the sound produced will be a bit thin, think again! Having heard versions of this by Muti(both live and studio recordings), Karajan, Toscanini, Giulini and the late Robert Shaw, I have no doubt that this tremendous account by Gardiner stands head and shoulders above them all. The use of period instruments adds immensely to what is already a very dramatic piece- listen especially to the way the trumpets tear through the texture in the 'Dies irae' and 'Sanctus' sections. Gardiner, as he usually does, adopts very rapid speeds but never at the expense of clarity and accuracy; even so, he allows plenty of space for the more reflective sections of the work. As one might expect, the choral singing is second to none, with Gardiner's own Monteverdi Choir doing their usual marvellous job- even in the highest or most sustained passages, there is never any sense of strain. The recording balance brings the choir to the fore without compromising the impact of the orchestra in any way. The soloists are also excellent- instead of the the normal overdose of vibrato that the soloists in this piece tend to provide, the voices of all four soloists are firmly centred around the notes Verdi asks for! The soprano, Organasova, gives an especially impressive performance, singing the 'Libera Me' about as perfectly as one could hope for. She works well with von Otter and their blending of timbres demonstrates how rewarding the results of two soloists working together can be, rather than constantly trying to outdo each other. Alastair Miles gives a dark and immensely authoritative account of the bass solo, while Luca Canonici adds a welcome Italianate edge and flair to the tenor role. In short, this is as good a recording of Verdi's Requiem as there has ever been and deserves to stand as the first chice for years to come. Gardiner has said that he thinks it is his own very best recording and the results bear this assessment out; quite simply, it is a thrilling performance from beginning to end and deserves the highest praise.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe 'Classical' but Revelatory - and Orgonasova is supreme, November 16, 2001

By 

Mr. Matthew J. Williams "mattjw" (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Verdi: Requiem / Quattro Pezzi Sacri (Four Sacred Pieces) (Audio CD)

This recording has been the subject of equally passionate praise and denouncement. Some critics threw about words like 'classical' and 'unidiomatic'. They were not entirely unjustified, but after acquiring this recording of one of my favourite pieces of music, I no longer care. This is revelatory.

No other recording has such detail, such clarity, such remarkable presence. Phillips should be congratulated. Few other performances have no weak links. All the soloists are excellent, the choir & orchestra superb.

In particular, I cannot find enough superlatives for Luba Orgonasova. It is an endless mystery to me why this soprano is so scarce in the catalogue. In this role, at least, she reigns supreme. Schwarzkopf; Studer; Stader; Sutherland; Scotto - all the "S" sopranos seem to have sung this! - Price; Gheorghiu; Caballe; Freni, the list goes on, NONE of these excel Orgonasova in this part. Verdi made incredible demands on his soprano soloist and the far lesser-known Orgonasova meets those demands better than any in this illustrious company.

The key to her success is that she has a strong chest voice which is properly integrated tonally with her head voice. To understand what I mean, just listen to that crucial part in the Libera Me (Requiem Aeternam), where she floats a high B which is truly pianissimo, followed by the ferocious recapitulation of the Libera Me culminating in the word "terra", which so many sopranos either under-power, or resort to a distortion of tone. Not Orgonasova. This is one phenomenal instrument.

The other aspect of this recording where its quality has the edge over all the competition is in the remarkable integration of Orgonasova and Von Otter's voices in the Recordare & Agnus Dei. No other recording I have heard blends the two parts so perfectly - almost like one singer who can sing in harmony with herself!

For buyers who can afford a few recordings, this may be an excellent complement to a more operatic recording (I would recommend the intermittently-available live 1960 Fricsay - don't confuse with his studio recording) and/or the great Giulini with Schwarzkopf; Ludwig; Gedda; & Ghiaurov, now at mid-price on EMI Great Recordings of the Century. The present recording is full price over two discs; which may deter the budget conscious, but it is well worth it for anyone who cares to know this music intimately, to have its mastery revealed afresh.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gardiner or Shaw: A difficult choice, August 8, 2002

By 

A. J. Robb (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Verdi: Requiem / Quattro Pezzi Sacri (Four Sacred Pieces) (Audio CD)

Verdi's mass for the dead is one of my favorite pieces in the western canon, so I've collected a few over the years. You can read the other reviews for poetic waxing on the themes and scope of this work, but I will concern this review with the musical and performance merits of two specific recordings: the best period performance (Gardiner's, albeit the only one) and arguably the best modern performance (recorded by the regrettably late Robert Shaw, and there are some other moderns in close contention).

I won't make you read the entire review to get my take: I prefer the Gardiner/ORR recording to the Shaw/ASO for the simple reason that there is more fire, drive, dynamic, or other related adjective involved in this performance than any other.

Gardiner's players are absolutely deadly - you need look no further than tracks two and three for evidence of that! The tempi, while quite brisk, do not daunt this remarkable ensemble, and they play with an astounding precision. 50 percent of that credit is due, however, to Gardiner's outstanding conducting (most/all of his recordings with just about any group are staggeringly precise - check out The Planets with the Philharmonia!).

The choir, being the Monteverdi Choir, sings an incredible performance, but using far more vibrato than is normally heard from them - consistent with the style of the work. Their technique and facility equal that of the orchestra: a combination that is difficult to beat.

The tempi, taken as literally from the score as possible, are faster than we normally hear (by lesser ensembles) so, some listeners may feel that the music is not given enough time to breathe, or that it is too fast to comprehend. Enter Dr. Shaw...

Robert Shaw's outstanding account of this requiem has an incredible asset: phrasing unparalleled in any other recording. Under the guidance of the best choral conductor of his time, the Atlanta Symphony Chorus responds to their director's brilliant musicality with aplomb. His superb vocal phrasing transfers well to the strings too. Every phrase has a top and bottom, and he exposes many textures that other conductors do not.

But, Shaw's larger, less agile, and more-distantly miked ensemble do not capture the immediacy that Gardiner's does. Compounded with a slower performance, Shaw's - while breathtakingly beautiful - does not have Gardiner's impact.

So here's my recommendation: purchase Gardiner for the recording quality, tempo, orchestra, perferable choir, and effect. Purchase Shaw for the contemplative setting, outstanding choral phrasing/conducting, and superior soloists. Really, purchase both when you can.

But to feel the true power and effect of Verdi's opera for church, Gardiner's is the one to get.