Mozart's Requiem K. 626

[Bogey]

 Great pics, Miloš !

[jwinter]

You chose the pictures wisely, Milos  .  I know the answer to your quiz, but the pictures are slightly misleading 

Yeah, nice head-banging pics, bro 

For me the top choice for the Requiem has always been Bohm, but then I'm a sucker for Bohm in Mozart, particularly his later stuff from Vienna.  I've heard and greatly enjoyed a lot of lighter, swifter, more modern Mozart, but Bohm brings out the beauty, melody, and grace of Mozart like few others.

As a good change of pace that I haven't seen mentioned, I'll throw out this one with Hans Gillesberger leading the Vienna Staatsoper and the Vienna Boys Choir.  The beautiful singing of the boy's choir just takes it to another level, IMO -- it's not quite up there with the very best, but it's well worth a listen (although now hard to find, alas).



Edit:  Now listening to Karajan's 1962 Requiem, thanks to this thread... 

[Bogey]

Here are my timings of each that I have, starting with the slowest, which I enjoy the most.:

Böhm/Wiener '71 (DG)-63'06
Bernstein/Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks '89 (DG)-58'44
Karajan/Vienna '60 (Price-less)-54'38
Schreier/Staatskapelle Dresden '83 (Philips)-53'00
Harnoncourt/Concentus Musicus Wien '03 (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi)-50'15
Marriner/SMIF '91 (Philips)-49'41
Matt/Süddeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim '01 (Brilliant)-48'16

Anyone have a slower or faster one?

[Bogey]

And now for a little quiz. Which of these two gentlemen clocks Bruckner 8th in 65 minutes and which needs 105 minutes for the same piece.

I pick this pic for the cat with speed.  Not because it is a trick question, but on further analysis it looks as though he is just sweating while relaxing!

[Marc]

Dear me, Mozart's unfinished Requiem!
Will always remain a masterpiece-in-the-making!

Haven't listened to it for quite a while, though.

I always loved Sir Colin Davis (Donath, BBC et al) and William Christie. But there are many good renderings. I guess it just inspires most performers.

[Bogey]

I guess it just inspires most performers.

A very nice insight here, Marc.  I agree.

[Sorin Eushayson]

...there are many good renderings. I guess it just inspires most performers.

It's one of those pieces that you have to perform pretty poorly in order for it not to invigorate the spirit!

[Drasko]

You chose the pictures wisely, Milos  .  I know the answer to your quiz, but the pictures are slightly misleading 

Don't have to be misleading if you contextualize them. Let's say both of them started the performance at the same moment - Krips finished, changed his clothes and now enjoying a cigar while going over scores for his next programe, while at the same time Celi is still flailing around.

I pick this pic for the cat with speed.  Not because it is a trick question, but on further analysis it looks as though he is just sweating while relaxing!

And we have a winner! First prize is the recording of performance in question, not exactly hi-res but perfectly listenable.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ydinjzpmujw

Not to totally be off-topic, my favorites are Bohm and Scherchen as well and would like to hear Christie (liked the clips at jpc).

There is one relatively interesting recording I heard lately, Malgoire on K617. It's Sussmayr version with concluding Libera Me composed by Viennese composer Sigismund von Neukomm for occasion of first performance of Requiem in Americas in Rio De Janeiro 1819, where he was travelling at that moment. Neukomm was pupil of Michael Haydn and teacher to Mozart's son Franz Xaver. The most interesting thing about his Libera Me is that Neukomm left very precise tempo markings and those include markings for Mozart's Dies irae, dies illa and Requiem aeternam strophes he quotes, thus possibly indicating performance practice of the day.
Nice swift period performance compromised by mushy acoustics of the church used as recording venue.


Here's Libera me, for those curious:
http://www.mediafire.com/?1o0myljjjm0

[Lilas Pastia]

Here are my timings of each that I have, starting with the slowest, which I enjoy the most.:

Böhm/Wiener '71 (DG)-63'06
Bernstein/Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks '89 (DG)-58'44
Karajan/Vienna '60 (Price-less)-54'38
Schreier/Staatskapelle Dresden '83 (Philips)-53'00
Harnoncourt/Concentus Musicus Wien '03 (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi)-50'15
Marriner/SMIF '91 (Philips)-49'41
Matt/Süddeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim '01 (Brilliant)-48'16

Anyone have a slower or faster one?

The Pearlman clocks in slightly under Matt's. The three Celis I have all top Böhm's WP recording (63, 67 and 72 minutes). In the latter two  I'd have to give a careful listen and edit out the applause time. Still, the two longest definitely top Böhm. The latter also exists in a contemporaneous DVD, with the same forces (except maybe one of the soloists). IIRC it was shot in a church. Curiously,  in this particular case it's way off in its ponderousness. I recall having found it insufferable at the time, even though the DG disc was one of my favourites. Don't buy that DVD thinking you'll add visuals to a loved recording. It's not the same performance!

JWinter, if you like Böhm, you might enjoy Scherchen. Same overall timing (20 seconds shorter), but with more extremes of tempi. Quite a ride, I say.

[Marc]

BUMP for member Rinaldo.

[Marc]

And adding another very enjoyable issue:



http://www.amazon.com/Requiem-Veldhoven/dp/B000063TD5/

Van Veldhoven uses the Süßmayr/Flothuis score.
Some info about that:

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=55560

[George]

What do folks think of Giulini's second recording, on SONY?