Verdi - Requiem · Quattro pezzi sacri / Orgonasova · von Otter · Canonici · A. Miles · Gardiner

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This religious masterpiece, composed in memory of the great Italian novelist Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873), has themes even more cosmic than any in Verdi's other operas: life and death, heaven and hell, the Christian vision of humanity's redemption, the end of the world, and the last judgment. Verdi's music rises to the tremendous demands of this subject matter; it is music of grandeur, guilt, terror, and consolation, with a breadth of vision and an intensity of feeling unique in the composer's work and in religious music. John Eliot Gardiner's is the first recording made with period instruments, a kind of performance that some musiclovers still dismiss as dilettantism, more concerned with musicological correctness than feeling and communication. Gardiner's powerful performance blows such objections away, and this recording takes a rightful place alongside the best modern instrument versions. --Joe McLellan

Verdi - Requiem · Quattro pezzi sacri / Orgonasova · von Otter · Canonici · A. Miles · Gardiner, Music, Giuseppe Verdi, John Eliot Gardiner, Luba Orgonasova, Anne Sofie von Otter, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Monteverdi Choir, Luca Canonici, Alastair Miles, Choral, Choral Music, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Requiem/Requiem Section

Verdi - Requiem · Quattro pezzi sacri / Orgonasova · von Otter · Canonici . A. Miles · Gardiner
Average customer rating:

Superb Requiem performance, Quattro Pezzi Sacri unforgettable

A balanced view, please

Magnificant

Gardiner or Shaw: A difficult choice

Maybe 'Classical' but Revelatory - and Orgonasova is supreme

Verdi - Requiem · Quattro pezzi sacri / Orgonasova · von Otter · Canonici . A. Miles · Gardiner
Giuseppe Verdi , John Eliot Gardiner , Luba Orgonasova , Anne Sofie von Otter , Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique , Monteverdi Choir , Luca Canonici , and Alastair Miles
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000418W
Release Date: 1995-04-11

Tracks:

Messa da requiem: 1. Requiem - G. Verdi
Messa da requiem: 2. Dies irae - Dies irae - G. Verdi
Messa da requiem: 2. Dies irae - Tuba mirum - G. Verdi
Messa da requiem: 2. Dies irae - Liber scriptus - G. Verdi
Messa da requiem: 2. Dies irae - Quid sum miser - G. Verdi
Messa da requiem: 2. Dies irae - Rex tremendae - G. Verdi
Messa da requiem: 2. Dies irae - Recordare - G. Verdi
Messa da requiem: 2. Dies irae - Ingemisco - G. Verdi
Messa da requiem: 2. Dies irae - Confutatis - G. Verdi
Messa da requiem: 2. Dies irae - Lacrymosa - G. Verdi
Messa da requiem: 3. Offertorio - G. Verdi
Messa da requiem: 4. Sanctus - G. Verdi

Tracks:

Messa da requiem: 5. Agnus Dei - Verdi
Messa da requiem: 6. Lux aeterna - Verdi
Messa da requiem: 7. Libera me - Verdi
Quattro Pezzi Sacri: Ave Maria - Verdi
Quattro Pezzi Sacri: Stabat Mater - Verdi
Quattro Pezzi Sacri: Laudi alla Vergine Maria - Verdi
Quattro Pezzi Sacri: Te Deum - Verdi

Amazon.com

This religious masterpiece, composed in memory of the great Italian novelist Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873), has themes even more cosmic than any in Verdi's other operas: life and death, heaven and hell, the Christian vision of humanity's redemption, the end of the world, and the last judgment. Verdi's music rises to the tremendous demands of this subject matter; it is music of grandeur, guilt, terror, and consolation, with a breadth of vision and an intensity of feeling unique in the composer's work and in religious music. John Eliot Gardiner's is the first recording made with period instruments, a kind of performance that some musiclovers still dismiss as dilettantism, more concerned with musicological correctness than feeling and communication. Gardiner's powerful performance blows such objections away, and this recording takes a rightful place alongside the best modern instrument versions. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

Superb Requiem performance, Quattro Pezzi Sacri unforgettable.......2007-04-15

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.

A balanced view, please.......2006-09-27

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.

Magnificant.......2003-10-07

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.

Gardiner or Shaw: A difficult choice.......2002-08-08

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.

Maybe 'Classical' but Revelatory - and Orgonasova is supreme.......2001-11-16

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.

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