Verdi: Messa da Requiem; I vespri siciliana Overture / Schubert: Mass in E flat, D950 ~ Giulini

Giuseppe Verdi (Composer), Franz [Vienna] Schubert (Composer), Carlo Maria Giulini (Conductor), Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus (Orchestra), New Philharmonia Orchestra (Orchestra), Anna Reynolds (Performer), Amy Shuard (Performer), Anne Pashley (Performer), Richard Lewis (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Anna Reynolds, Amy Shuard, Anne Pashley, Richard Lewis
• Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, New Philharmonia Orchestra
• Conductor: Carlo Maria Giulini
• Composer: Giuseppe Verdi, Franz [Vienna] Schubert
• Audio CD (June 27, 2000)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: BBC Legends
• ASIN: B00004SV5G
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,504 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Notwithstanding its opaque sound and miscast soprano, Guilini's EMI version of Verdi's masterpiece (sadly out of print) has been universally considered among the best Requiems since it was made in 1963. This near-contemporaneous BBC broadcast performance doesn't improve on the sound. Although it does bring the chorus forward, orchestral detail is obscured, soloists are spotlighted, and occasionally there's some transfer-induced fuzz. The soloists aren't as starry a group as the EMI quartet, but they hold their own. Richard Lewis was a great Handel/Mozart tenor but doesn't have the Radamès voice Verdi requires, while David Ward is serviceable. Anna Reynold's rich mezzo and Amy Shuard's moving "Libera me" are fine, as is the chorus. Guilini conveys a spiritual intensity a notch or two higher than that of his studio version. The generous filler is Guilini's 1968 broadcast performance of Schubert's great Mass, done with touching tenderness, more energetic and flowing than his spacious 1990s Sony recording. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unmissable REQUIEM, December 9, 2009

By 

Filippo Secondo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Verdi: Messa da Requiem; I vespri siciliana Overture / Schubert: Mass in E flat, D950 ~ Giulini (Audio CD)

Giulini's classic EMI set is slightly disappointing: the soprano part doesn't suit Schwarzkopf's voice well; technically, the recording isn't flawless - Ghiaurov sounds rather distant (his colleagues being more comfortably miked), and the distortion in the loud passages isn't acceptable for a recording from 1963. This BBC release, though made in the same year, is not only sonically superior, but the little-known quartet (Amy Shuard, Anna Reynolds, Richard Lewis, and David Ward) are, in fact, better than their EMI counterparts (Lewis's superb baritonal timbre recalls Ramon Vinay, my favourite Wagner tenor of the '50s and '60s). The live RAH atmosphere adds to the evening's excitement, generated primarily by Giulini's well-judged direction, which doesn't drag as on the EMI version. The REQUIEM is flanked by a thrilling VESPRI SICILIANI Overture (RAH, 1963) and (this is a work new to me) Schubert's MASS 6 (Usher Hall, 1968). To condemn a recording simply on account of the names in its cast is unfair (the Schubert soloists are even more obscure than the Verdi, and yet they acquit themselves well): listen to this, and see for yourself.
PS I also recommend the other BBC Giulini REQUIEM recorded in 1964 at RFH (Ligabue, Bumbry, Konya and Arie), available on both CD and b/w DVD (Giulini's mesmerizing gestures on the latter format will keep you glued to the screen).

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A memento of Giulini in one of his signature works, February 21, 2007

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Verdi: Messa da Requiem; I vespri siciliana Overture / Schubert: Mass in E flat, D950 ~ Giulini (Audio CD)

The 2-star rating given by the reviewer below is typical of listeners who can hear only the surface of a performance. Giulini made a studio Verdi Requiem in 1963 that by common agreement is a classic of the gramophone, and around that time he took the same Philharmonia Orch. and chorus into Albert Hall for a Proms Concert version (there's yet a third reading, live from Royal Festival Hall, also on BBC Legends but in mono). When choosing which Giulini to buy, bear in mind that the EMI is nearly a perfect match of great singers, musicians, and conductor--the Philharmonia Chorus was arguably the best in the world at the time, due to chorus master Wilhelm Pitz. This live reading comes close to that ideal, except in the solo singing.

It goes without saying that this is a special performance--tender, humane, reverent--but it's also true that the sound is fairly basic FM-radio stereo. It sounds best in soft passages or when the soloists are singing and gets congested in volcanic eruptions like the Dies Irae (not to the point of being unlistenable, however). The quartet of English soloists do well, even though they aren't as authoritative as their studio counterparts. The only serious lapse is the Libera me, when the soprano, Amy Shuard, can't manage enough fervency or vocal weight.

What this CD comes down to is Giulini, and he is at his finest. This isn't a carbon copy of the EMI recording; he's freer, more flexible, less studio-bound. In addition, there are two very attractive fillers: a Vespri Siciliana Over. from 1963 and Schubert's late E-flat Mass, D. 950 from 1968. The 55-minute Scubert work, almost totally for chorus and orchestra, is a masterpiece that Giulini loved, and his reading is among the most inspiring I've ever heard.

In sum, a five-star set if one ever existed, but be aware of the limitations in the sonics and the solo quartet.

8 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Can get unpleasant, trust me., May 14, 2001

By 

Spiff (Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Verdi: Messa da Requiem; I vespri siciliana Overture / Schubert: Mass in E flat, D950 ~ Giulini (Audio CD)

This is not the best Requiem out there. For anyone not getting it just for its historical value, it should be kept in mind that the sound quality is rather poor. The "Dies irae" overture's grainy overload clipping distortion is horrible. If that annoys you, you better look for your Verdi elsewhere and skip Giulini's, if not, performances are worth checking out. Personally, I seldom touch this CD.