Customer Reviews

Verdi: Requiem / Quattro Pezzi Sacri (Four Sacred Pieces)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is absolutely glorious music. The Requiem Mass of Verdi has long been a favorite for both listeners and vocalists and is now acquiring a semi-popular following. The only limitation to even more public performances is the extraordinary length. What is even more remarkable about this deeply moving piece is that Verdi himself was not a religious man though being Italian the Church must have made a deep impact on his psyche.

The synthesis of the orchestra and chorus is near perfect and the tempi are just right. Many times one hears parts of the Mass taken at near neck-break speed and other parts at a near standstill. The depths of the emotional range is astounding - from the thundersou blasts of the Dies Irae to the mournful, languid, rapturous Lacrymosa to the piercing sopranas and warm altos - it is the kind of music that comes along rarely.

The sound is sterling, the acoustics just as clear. I liked the informative accompanying pamphlet with the original (Latin) words along with a translation as opposed to a transliteration. Add this to your collection.

This is one fantastic recording of the Verdi Requiem. As previous reviewers have mentioned, the Monteverdi Choir (69 members strong) produces a powerful sound that easily holds its own against the bigger choirs. The Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique uses period instruments, but you won't hear the tinny sound, vibrato-less strings, or the over-miked percussion of typical period instrument CDs. This orchestra sounds every bit as good as the "modern" orchestras that have recorded the Verdi Requiem. And they have a GREAT bass drum!

The soloists are not the blood & guts Verdians that many listeners associate with this piece. The liner notes by John Eliot Gardiner include a reference to Verdi's letter to Ricordi in which he adamantly cautions against singing this work like an opera. It is not surprising, then, that a scholarly conductor like Gardiner would choose soloists that would match Verdi's own desires.

Luba Orgonasova (born in Bratislava, Slovakia) is a lyric soprano much in demand in Europe. She was personally invited by Karajan to co-star in 1990 Salzburg Festival's Fidelio (the production was conducted by Kurt Masur following Karajan's death). In Verdi's Requiem, she provides a sound that shimmers like glass. Her high B-flat in Libera Me is almost vibrato-less, creating a pure crystalline sound.

Anne Sofie von Otter (1955 - , Stockholm, Sweden) is well-known among American and European audiences alike. In addition to her many trouser stage roles, she has extensive recordings of oratorio literature. Her Verdi Requiem is totally without theatrics. The music is all you get - and that's good enough for me.

Luca Canonici (1961 - , Tuscany, Italy) is a lyric tenor not very well-known outside of Europe. His recordings include Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix, Bellini's La Sonnambula , Rossini's Il Signor Bruschino, and Verdi's Falstaff (Solti). His Requiem is also devoid of theatrics, much like Gedda's (Giulini) and Araiza's (Hanns-Martin Schneidt). His Ingemisco did not please me at first, but I gradually grew to enjoy it with additional hearings.

Alastair Miles (1961 - , UK), bass, is a superstar in England. He made his Metropolitan debut in 1996. He has a beautifully resonant sound that reminds me of Simon Estes (Hanns-Martin Schneidt). Okay, he's not Ghiaurov (Karajan, Giulini) or van Dam (Karajan), but I really enjoyed how he sang this Requiem.

The Monteverdi Choir gives a totally stunning performance of the Quattro Pezzi Sacri. The fine work of the orchestra adds to the sonic grandeur of the singers. This is definitely one of my all-time favorite recordings of this work.

I was highly pleased with the recorded sound; it is one of the main reasons why I love this album. Liner notes include texts and translations, names of all orchestra and choir performers, artist photos, and essays by Julian Budden and Gardiner. This album was recorded Dec 1992 in London.

While I highly recommend this album, I realize its high price may deter some. But try to get it if you can.

My musical tastes span across the entire spectrum of music. I can appreciate all music where true talen or skill has been a part of a performance or a writing of a song or a piece. For me music is something profoundly special, something spiritual above all else. Classical music evokes this moreso than any other, and certain classical repertoires can place many a listener in a state of sheer bliss and utopia. Of over some select 350 classical cd's I have purchased in my time, with masterpieces ranging from Bach through Handel, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Mahler - a whole spectrum of classical eras and styles. One work shines above the rest. A requiem is, generally speaking, a sad work - that is to say, it is mainly about death and performed alongside death. Indeed the first performance of Verdi's Requiem was performed on the anniversary of the famous writer Alessandro Manzoni's passing on. The Verdi Requiem touches on hope, prayer, liberation but also destruction and calamity. Its content is nothing short of mammoth in spiritual proportions. What is brought to these words and notions, musically, is of a scale so grande, that it can, at its conclusion give the listener a sense of an opening up of the heavens, a sense of true peace and at that exact point where the final 'libera me' is chanted a feeling of release - at that moment could a person gladly die for nothing is of consequence spare the music and the peace created at its conclusion. It is difficult to explain to a reader in words what the sound of this masterpiece eminates. It is, in my opinion, the greatest ever musical work in the history of mankind. What role if any does Gardiner and the Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique, and the Monteverdi choir play in all of this, if any? I think that what Gardiner does with this work, is what must be done with all great Masterpieces, a sense of true justice to the music - the aim to reproduce the masterpiece as best as the composer himself could ever have imagined it. This may mean more accurately sounding instruments - in this case, Gardiner has gone for period instruments, as he often does. The logic behind this is sensible - the music was written best for those instruments, thus, logically, the music would sound best played in that setting with those instruments. In addition to the great effort Gardiner has gone to to reproduce the most similar sound to Verdi as possible, his choir and orchestra have performed second to none. Orgonasova, Von Otter, Canonici, Miles - all favourites of Gardiner. They are perhaps the best in their respective vocal ranges for this type of music. Each period, each composer requires a different feel, a different voice, each work a different tone. A requiem must be able to be both loud and bold, but also soft and gentle. Verdi's music does this without even bringing in a human to play around with it any further. But these soloists are relentless, never failing, and full of life and energy. The Orchestra is superb, the skill amazing. The brass section particularly is amazingly big - some sections leaving even the biggest brass band enthusiants in their midsts. I do at times feel sorry for the trumpet section - or perhaps moreso the poor violists sitting just in front of them bearing the full brunt of the wall of sound in the Dies Irae and Tuba Mirum... The string sections are always together and fly between crescendo and decrescendo with robotic precision. The Choir is perfect in its precise togetherness and complete appreciation at all times for the correct balance of orchestra and soloists throughout the performance. There is no better group of musicians who have come together to perform Verdi's Requiem as these, and very few Orchestras of this calibre have been put together in the history of modern classical performances. All this on a digital recording which is crystal clear at all times. If there be anything I could recommend for you to buy with your USD$31, it would be this, I know I would gladly pay a few hundred for it if I had to.

So far at Amazon every reviewer seems to echo the same opinion, that Gardiner's is a revelatory performance, the best ever, incomparable on every score. I don't think such overkill helps a recording, however. There have been monumental accounts of the Messa da Requiem from Toscanini, De Sabata, Serafin, Giulini, Fricsay, and Reiner, with soloists the likes of Schwarzkopf, Ludwig, Jussi Bjorling, Pavarotti, Leontyne Price, and so on. In the light of so much glorious history, it's quite a feat to make a highly successful new recording of this great work.

Gardiner has certainly done that. He leads a propulsive, exciting reading, and trimming down his orchestra and chorus adds much-needed clarity and impact. It's rare to get a professional chorus on the order of the Monteverdi Choir, and they sing perfectly in tune throughout, with wide dynamic contrasts. But Gardiner's soloists aren't the absolute best I've ever heard. Tenor Luca Canonici is nowhere near the level of Bjorling, Pavarotti, and Domingo in this work, appealing as he is; the Ingemisco runs out of steam after the first few lines. Von Otter is exceptional, of course, and Alistair Miles acqits himself well. The major solo part belongs to the soprano in the Libera Me, and Luba Organosova has a good, if fairly light voice, free of Slavic wobble and edge. She sings with intense passion and has good vocal control. Is she the equal of Leontyne Price? If she were, she'd be a headliner in every opera house in the world. Expect a good-to-very good job form her, as form the others.

Finally, the only real deficit is the sound, which is edgy and harsh in loud climaxes and shows evidence of microphone shatter. Also, Gardiner's rough, punchy style in the fastest passages, like the Dies Irae, may not be to everyone's taste. Otherwise, this is one of his best recordings outside the Baroque repertoire.

The sheer virtuosity of this performance has been snatched away from us by one of Philips label's worst efforts. There is nothing to recommend about this release because of the botched recorded sound. The choral parts are often masked, the soloists seem like they're miles away from any microphone, the orchestra out of balance, simply a dreadful sound overall.

I am a HUGE fan of Gardiner and his choral recordings but Philips did him a great disservice by not doing their homework for the acoustic in which this requiem was recorded.

What's the point of having to strain to listen for the best details of a performance because the producer did such shoddy work in the first place? This review may seem out of whack compared to the others, but I'm sorry, I just can't understand how anyone has overlooked the poor quality of this disc's recorded sound.

DON'T BUY!

.... from von Karajan and the usual lumbering, rumbling warhorse symphonic performances of the Requiem. The essence of this performance is not the use of period instruments but rather of "period sensibilities" by an orchestra and chorus that fully cooperate with their conductor's interpretation. Only the reeds, trumpets and drums sound radically different from modern instruments in timbre, but the articulations and bowings of the strings sound quite a lot less mushy than those on other recordings. Gardiner takes several movements at tempi that will surprise listeners familiar with older, stuffier versions. Likewise he takes the opening 'requiem aeternam' at a passionate adagio, pianissimo, setting your ears up for the thunderous kyrie.

It's the orchestra and the chorus that carry this performance to the heights. I'm not so enthusiastic about the four soloists - soprano Luba Orgonasova, mezzo Anne Sofie von Otter, tenor Luca Canonici, and bass Alastair Miles. The two ladies do a certain amount of scooping and swooping, shaking and quaking, while the two gentlemen don't really have the most abundant voices. All four have frequent pitch problems; Verdi must be harder to sing in tune than the notes look on the page, since pitch problems plague many recordings of his operas as well. That's my reason for giving this CD only four stars. Nevertheless, the "whole" is great enough to carry along the "parts."

Numerous critics consider the Requiem to be the finest music that Verdi ever composed. I readily agree. If you have been disappointed in the music as such of some of the operas -- as I have been -- you may be astonished at the vigor of his composition in this huge Requiem.

Postscript: Listening at home, on my higher-end system, I have a slightly different impression. The two men singers have more 'character' in their voices than I heard before. The 'whole' is a bit of a chore to listen to; it sounds a little too episodic (Verdi's fault, not Gardiner's) and it's strenuous because of the extreme, explosive changes of volume. You have to play it loud enough to hear the detail in the quietest sections, but then your eardrums will be at risk in the very loud tutti sections. That's the nature of the beast.

First time I ever purchased a used CD and was more than pleased with the quality, price and service....great system you have.