Requiem

[AnthonyAthletic]

Having just heard for the first time the Dvorak Requiem, with Jansons live.  I took the plunge and ordered two versions (my first buys for the Requiem).  They are very low priced both under £2 and thought why not.

Any comments on the work?  This is a work I am about to get to know and loved it on first hearing the Jansons (a recording which I now do not have....lost it...) 

The two I have on order are Armin Jordan and Karel Ancerl, not knowing what to expect, firstly can anyone shed any light on these recordings prior to hearing, as upon surfing, this seems to be a sparsely recorded work compared to others (any other favourites?); and secondly....has there been a General Requiem thread on these boards 

[Lethevich]

I find it a bit less strong than his Stabat Mater (which in turn is a little weak compared to his immaculate orchestral and chamber music). It's worth listening to, and many may find it worth owning, but not a neglected masterpiece IMO.

Edit: This is not to say that a person cannot have a very strong personal liking for it - I feel the same way about Liszt's Christus oratorio, while realising that some may find it overly long.

[Mark]

Oh wow! A Requiem thread!

Can I be nerdy and start going on about the relative merits of the 13 (or is it 14?) different Brahms German Requiems I own?

[Lethevich]

I didn't notice that this could be used as a general requiem thread. I guess I can make a good attempt at torpedoing it by requesting discussion about Pedro de Escobar's one (one of the very earliest to survive)...

[Keemun]

Oh wow! A Requiem thread!

Can I be nerdy and start going on about the relative merits of the 13 (or is it 14?) different Brahms German Requiems I own?

Please do.  I only own three and would like additional recommendations. 

[Mark]

Please do.  I only own three and would like additional recommendations. 

As time allows, I shall.

Which three do you have? I'm guessing the overrated Klemperer* is among them?


*Awaits the wrath of Sarge.

[Keemun]

Which three do you have? I'm guessing the overrated Klemperer* is among them?

Klemperer overrated?   It would take an astronomically high rating for that to be true. 

Here are the three I have: 

Klemperer/Philharmonia
Abbado/BPO
Lehmann/BPO

[BachQ]

Oh wow! A Requiem thread!

Can I be nerdy and start going on about the relative merits of the 13 (or is it 14?) different Brahms German Requiems I own?

Did Elgar ever get around to writing a requiem?

[Mark]

Klemperer overrated?   It would take an astronomically high rating for that to be true. 

Here are the three I have: 

Klemperer/Philharmonia
Abbado/BPO
Lehmann/BPO

Of these, I currently have only the Klemperer (though why people swoon over it so, I've no idea).

What I recommend depends on what you're looking for. If you want your emotions stirred to the point where your eyes well with tears, get Sinopoli with the Czech Philharmonic - Lucia Popp alone is outstanding, and the maestro's handling of the orchestral swells are as exhilarating as they are exhausting. If clarity of orchestral texture and textual articulation matter to you, then Norrington is your man. His recording with the London Classical Players is about as crystal cut as it gets.

For something more 'old skool' (and a refreshing alternative to Klemperer, who I think sacrifices vocal clarity for orchestral power), give Karajan's EMI BPO version a whirl (the 1977 recording). Had I heard no other version, I could quite happily have settled for this. Whereas, for a recording where everything is beautifully judged, nothing goes to extremes, clarity in instrumentation and voices is near ideal and the sound is excellent, you could do a lot worse than Rattle's BPO outing on EMI, released this year (or was it last year?). I raved about this when I first heard it, and I still think it's a very fine outing indeed, one that will probably not get its due credit for years to come (some recordings just suffer that way ).

Final special mentions go to Haitink with the VPO, and Maazel with the New Philharmonia. Both have plenty of magic, though the Haitink (on Philips) benefits from the better engineering.

And one to leave on the shelf? The LSO Live recording with Previn. Nothing especially wrong with it - it just never really takes off.

[Lethevich]

And one to leave on the shelf? The LSO Live recording with Previn. Nothing especially wrong with it - it just never really takes off.

A mean person could say that this is the story of Previn's life...

[Mark]

A mean person could say that this is the story of Previn's life...

Quite.

[AnthonyAthletic]

I found the Previn German Requiem a pretty decent effort, more so an event than a high ranking performance.  One of those concerts where it would simply have been 'good to be there'.

I do have a particular Karajan recording which I like from 1957 with Lisa Della Casa and Dieskau in fine voice, Vienna PO 1955 live.  The sound is on the dry side but a well crafted performance.

[Keemun]

Mark, thanks for the recommendations. 

[Mark]

Mark, thanks for the recommendations. 

You're very welcome.




Now burn the Klemperer. 

[Keemun]

You're very welcome.




Now burn the Klemperer. 

No.  0:)

[Dancing Divertimentian]

As far as the Verdi Requiem: initially I had a thing for the piece but over time my enthusiasm waned. I've seen it live and will never forget the sight of that huge kettle drum on stage practically dwarfing the rest of the orchestra. And does it take a beating of a lifetime! Really raises the roof!

I used to have the Muti recording on EMI and found it quite good.

[wilhelm]

another excellent requiem:

Joseph Eybler (1765-1846)

[wilhelm]

and also this one:

Francois-Joseph Gossec (1734-1829)

[JoshLilly]

another excellent requiem: Joseph Eybler (1765-1846)
and also this one: Francois-Joseph Gossec (1734-1829)

The "Confutatis" from Eybler's C minor Requiem was a real surprise to me, musically. It only lasts 41 seconds, but it's very un-1803. It's not one of my favourite requiems, but there are several moments in there that are really memorable for me.

Gossec's Requiem is one of my favourites though, up there with W.A. Mozart's and Cherubini's (who wrote multiple). It seizes me from the opening, which is a quiet, solo timpani. The Introitus, which is actually the second movement in this requiem, is truly gorgeous.

I don't think Cherubini has been mentioned elsewhere in this thread, but he was one of the masters of the requiem. He would even use them to do some bizarre stuff, like the Dies Irae from his Requiem #1 in C minor. The Requiem in D minor for Male Chorus and Orchestra is impressive also.

If anyone's interested in really going off the beaten track, there's always the Requiem in C minor of João Domingos Bomtempo, which contains some very meditative and subtle music.

Now I'm wondering why I own so many recordings of requiems, considering it's not one of my favourite things. Oh well. I like Cimarosa's, too, but probably not one of my favourites. Joseph Martin Kraus's Requiem is one of the best, though! I think he was a composer of true genius, and I love everything I've heard other than merely liking his solo piano music. After reading about some bizarre theory that all the most famous music by W.A. Mozart and F.J. Haydn was by Andrea Luchesi (), I went and bought a CD of his music, which was a requiem. The theory was nonsense, of course, including some physically impossible stuff. But this requiem is one of the best I've ever heard. It may actually be my second-favourite requiem of all, after Mozart's! The "Dies Irae" is not at all what is expected, that's for sure! It's quiet and subdued and beautiful, rather than the more power-laden approach usually taken by composers. The "Quantus tremor" follows, opening with horns sounding out almost hunting calls, laced with an organ. Pretty weird and oddly upbeat, following that sorrowful "Dies Irae".

[karlhenning]

Joseph Eybler was a friend of Mozart's, right, introduced to Mozart by 'Papa'?  IIRC Eybler died of a stroke to which he succumbed while conducting a performance of the Mozart K.626.