Berlioz: Te Deum

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Berlioz's Te Deum is one of his largest works--not quite the extravaganza that he made of the Requiem, with its 4 brass bands and 16 timpanists, but big enough! It requires three choruses, an augmented orchestra, and solo organ. The opening measures, in which the orchestra and organ alternate in throwing huge chords out into space, were made for a cathedral acoustic such is offered here. Unfortunately, that's about the best part of this performance, which takes on a distinctly amateurish cast from there on. The various choruses are simply not up to the demands of the piece (they are utterly defeated by the warlike Judex crederis, just when they should sound strongest), and the conducting, which has to simply blaze with conviction, seems more concerned with simply getting through a tough job. Yet there are no other recordings of this work readily available in the domestic catalog, and this will give you a sense of what the piece is about--but certainly no more than that. --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

Requiem: Dies Irae
Carmina Burana: O Fortuna
The Planets: Mars
The Ride Of The Valkyries
Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves
Fanfare For The Common Man
Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1
Aida: Grand March
Summer - Four Seasons: Presto
Te Deum: Prelude
The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra
Toccata And Fugue In D Minor
Symphony No. 5: First Movement
Spartacus: Adagio
Sabre Dance
Symphony No. 40: First Movement
Zadok The Priest
Turandot: Nessun Dorma

Tracks:

Also Sprach Zarathoustra
Romeo And Juliet: Dance Of The Knights
Requiem: Dies Irae
1812 Overture
Piano Concerto
Spring - Four Seasons: Allegro
Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus
The Royal Fireworks: La Ruissance From Music
Flight Of The Bumble Bee
Symphonie Fantastique: March To The Scaffold
Carmen: Overture
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Jerusalem
The Planets: Jupiter
Symphony No 9, 'Ode To Joy'
Swan Lake: Scene
Enigma Variations: Nimrod
Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini [Variation 18]
Pictures At An Exibitions: Promenade
Symphony For Organ No 3: Finale, Symphony For Organ No 3

Customer Reviews:

perfect selection for commencement/ graduation.......2007-06-11

We were concerned after reading some other reviews that this version of Pomp and Circumstance wouldn't be the correct movement or the full length version. This selection has the song for graduation AND the extended length, so it gives plenty of time for processionals. If this is what you need, this is the CD to get.

Great Starting Point for Classical Music Novices.......2004-08-13

"Simply the Best Classicial Anthems" is exactly what the title indicates. This is a collection of what the CD says are "36 of the most powerful classics on Earth". My review of this CD comes from someone who is a Classical Music Novice. I'm familiar with some of the composers, musical styles, musical periods, and some of the terminology that is key to understanding Classical Music. By no means am I an expert. I have basically popped in this two CD collection into my player and have enjoyed the sounds it produces. If you are in the same category as I am or maybe just wanting to be introduced to Classical Music - this is going to be a very good CD to have in your collection. For the more seasoned Classical Music fan, this could be either enjoyable or overkill.

The CD contains 36 songs composed by the legends of Classical Music Composers from the past. The bulk of the works come from Composers in the the 19th and 20th century, but there are works from the Romantic and Classical eras of the late 18th and early 19th century (such as Beethoven and Mozart). In general you will find most of the major names of Composers you would expect to find - names such as Tchiakovsky, Handel, Verdi, Strauss, Elgar, and Bach are all there. The only major composer who I would have expected to see on this CD that I don't see is Frederic Chopin. The composers of the late 20th century are not included on this collection - so you won't see Leonard Bernstein or John Williams on this set. While these Composers are excellent, I do think style of the tracks on this collection pre-date their style.

The recordings themselves are done by the great Orchestras around the world. For the most part, European Orchestras were used to deliver the tracks. There are a few exceptions: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra delivers "The Ride of the Valkyries"; The Toronto Symphony Orchestra delivers "Dance of the Knights"; and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra delivers Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture". Some of the European Orchestras that are well known include: BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra, Choeur Philhamonique de Strasbourg, and more. Also included are performances by well known names in the Classical space such as Marie-Claire Alain (Bach's "Toccate and Fogue in D Minor" and Saint-Saens' "Symphony for Organ No 3"), Piero Toso (Vivaldi's "Allegro From Spring - Four Seasons"), and Placido Domingo appears on Puccini's "Nessun Dorma".

The 2 Disc collection contains a total of over 2 hours and 6 minutes of music. The selections that are included in the set will sound very familiar to you when you play them. You probably have both heard and seen the names of tracks such as: Oref's "O Fortuna"; Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man"; Beethoven's "First Movement from Symphony Number 5" and "Ode To Joy"; Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance", and Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture". Many of the other tracks will also sound familiar, but maybe not so much by name - such as Wagner's "The Ride of the Valkyries", Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathoustra"; Grieg's "Piano Concerto", and "Dies Irae" (versions included by Mozart and Verdi - you can compare the two and judge for yourself). As for the Discs themselves, I think most of the casual fans will like the selections on Disc Two better, but Disc One is still very good. On a sidebar, the Israel Philharmonic's version of "1812 Overture" is by far the best you will hear - particularly at the end, the booming drums create almost a 3 dimensional vision of fireworks being launched into the air.

There one big negative on this collection is some of the recording quality. The clarity of the recording is there, but some of the recording levels leave a lot to be desired. On some of the softer parts, it is barely audible without significantly turning up your volume. This is very evident on "O Fortuna" where you will hear almost dead silence during from the 30 second to 1:30 mark of the track unless you crank your volume up. Same with the first few seconds of Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathoustra" and Tchiakovsky's "1812 Overture". When the volume is cranked up you will hear them - but then the other sections will be way too loud. I'm surprised with modern technology that this couldn't be addressed better.

The liner notes are pretty thin. You do get the Composers, Performers/Orchestras, and recording dates. There isn't any more details than that and you won't learn anymore insight on the tracks than this information. Despite some of the shortcomings of the liner notes and recording volume, I still think this is an excellent place to start and do recommend this CD if you are a novice to Classical Music and are looking for a great place to start listening to what the Classics have to offer.

**An Exquisite Album**.......2004-02-21

Simply The Best Classical Anthems

Simply The Best Classical Anthems is a compilation album of `36 of the most powerful Anthems on Earth'. But, it is also said to be something else. It is said to be a gateway. A gateway to another world. A world where our imagination can run free without being shackled down by any borders or boundaries or rules or limits. A world that we have all seen or perhaps more accurately have all heard of but for many of us a world that we have never dared to enter. Never dared to enter because of fear. The fear of being ostracised and shunned by our community.

THE MYTH
`Classical Music!', I can hear some of you cry. `That isn't another world. That's just music for the upperclass, the high-brow, and the pompous.' Surprisingly, I too felt this way for a long time until I accepted the invitation made to me by Simply The Best Classical Anthems. I always felt that Classical Music was nice to listen to as background music for a Levis ad or a Car ad but I would consider people strange if they chose to hear it on its own. However, after having listened to this album I realised how wrong I was in my assumptions.

THE TRUTH
Music as with all forms of amusement helps to take you away from where you are now. It helps to relax you when you are stressed with anger; it helps to give you strength when you are vulnerable; it helps to keep your spirits up when you have faced tragedy or loss. It helps. And, for me the type of music that best conjures up the most passionate emotions (love, hate, courage and anger) at our most testing times is Classical Music.
How? I don't know.
Why? I don't know.
I can only promise you that in my experience it does.

THE CHEST
The album, in visual terms, is very difficult to overlook amongst the plethora of records that may surround it. This is because the album has a very distinct purple sleeve cover. Not any kind of purple mind you but the Cadbury's kind of purple. The kind of purple that carries with it an invitation. An invitation that if accepted promises you a treasure inside.
And since, I have always enjoyed the treasure within the purple Cadbury's Dairy Milk wrapper, I asked myself why would an album carrying the same invitation promise to be anything different? Thus, I parted with my tuppence worth and went back home to open this purple chest of promised treasures.

THE PROMISED TREASURE
As you may have guessed, the contents of the album are somewhat different to the contents of a Cadbury's bar. When I opened the album, I was presented with two compact discs. At first glance, there did not seem to be anything special about them. They were just your average, everyday, run of the mill compact discs. To tell you the truth, I was a bit disappointed because I suppose I had hoped for something more.
However, looks can be deceptive. (Afterall, a Cadbury's Dairy Milk does not seem very appetising until you taste it!) And, also come November each year, I am always bemused and surprised at how the shabby contents of a cardboard box can both light up the sky and light up the faces of the neighbourhood. Thus, I pushed aside my assumptions and I ignited the discs (not literally of course, I just pressed the play button on the CD player). And, I let the fireworks begin.

THE KEY
From the very beginning, you will feel like you have unlocked the doorway to something special. And, after a full two hours of listening to both discs, you will feel like you have been taken out of this world and transported to another. Welcome to the world of Classical Music.

GUIDANCE
In the beginning, continue to listen to both discs in one go (i.e. one after the other). After a while, you will know which tracks you enjoy listening to the most. For those tracks you enjoyed the most make a promise to yourself that you will listen to the whole of the piece from which that track came from.
Good Luck on your quest if you choose to accept it.
Ride amongst the Valkyries, listen to the Flight of the Bumblebees, and use The Planets to keep you on the path.

I am not a good reviewer because as with all of my reviews I refuse to comment too much about what is inside the product but rather more about what effect the product has had on me. (Me, me, me. Vain & Egotistic, I know, so my friends and family keep telling me). But, I just want to cause a raucous about the product, enough not to spoil but enough of a raucous to let you experience it for yourself.

So my final words are:
Simply The Best Classical Anthems is an invitation. An invitation to the world of classical music. A world where you can begin a never-ending quest of curiosity. A curiosity that will always be rewarded with fulfilment.

Do you accept such an invitation?

Hope you found this review helpful.

Samples.......2003-11-23

The samples are too short and the quality leaves a lot to be desired. Having said that the choices are wonderful and the price is great. If you're looking for a overview of the best of classical music then this is for you. However if it's quality you're looking for then spent the extra money and look at other choices.

Great Sampler!.......2002-03-20

This is a good sampler, since it covers what you would want in a classical music CD. Looking at the tracks, it has the classic hits, such as "Ride of the Valkyries," "Toccata and Fugue," "Fanfare for the Common Man," "'Jupiter' from `The Planets,'" "Eine Klein Nachtmusik," and "Hallelujah Chorus."

There are also some new pieces that I have fallen in love with, such as "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra," "'Promenade' from Pictures at an Exhibition." The compilers did an interesting double take by including both Verdi's and Mozart's "Dies Ire." I'm not sure which is better.

This music is good for the brain and good for the soul. There is a power and passion that the blaring and glaring music that makes up most of the FM band. I'm reminded of the religious man who said that there is no music in hell. Probably because they wouldn't appreciate it there.

Tracks:

Gloria In Excelsis Deo - Academy And Chorus Of St Martin In The Fields
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Zadok The Priest - Ambrosian Singers
Miserere Mei, Deus - Gerald Finley
Veni Creator Spiritus - Choir Of The Monks Of The Benedictine Monastery Of Santo Domingo De Silos
Lacrimosa - London Philharmonic Choir
For Unto Us A Child Is Born - Ambrosian Singers
The Heavens Are Telling - John Shirley-Quirk
Panis Angelicus - Halle Choir
Ave Maria - Groupe Vocal De France
Ode To Joy - The Westminster Choir
Va, Pensiero - Chorus Of the Royal Opera House
Chorus Of Slave Girls - Chorus Of The National Theatre Of Sophia
Coro De Romanticos - Coro Cantores De Madrid
In Paradisum - Choir Of Kings College, Cambridge
Totus Tuus - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Song For Athene - Winchester Cathedral Choir
Celebration - London Symphony Chorus
Jerusalem - Royal Choral Society

Tracks:

Zion Hort Die Wachter - South German Madrigal Choir
Pleni Sunt Coeli Et Terra - Charles Brett
Hallelujah Chorus - Ambrosian Singers
Thou Knowest, Lord - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Veni Sancte Spiritus - Choir Of The Monks Of The Benedictine Monastery Of Santo Domingo De Silos
Awake The Harp - City Of Birmingham Symphony Chorus
And Then Shall Your Light Break Forth - New Philharmonia Chorus
L'Adieu Des Bergers - Choeurs Rene Duclos
Agnus Dei - Peter Barley
Cantique De Jean Racine - MONKS AND CHOIRBOYS OF DOWNSIDE ABBEY
Ave Verum Corpus - Schutz Consort
Begluckt Darf Nun Dich, O Heimat - Bavarian State Opera Chorus, Munich
Vedi! Le Fosche Notturne Spoglie - Chorus Of the Royal Opera House
Laudamus Te - Radio France Chorus
Chichester Psalms - Rachel Masters
The Lamb - Vasari Singers
Agnus Dei - Winchester Cathedral Choir
Requiem Aeternam - Choir Of Kings College, Cambridge
Dies Irae - Philharmonia Chorus
O Fortuna - London Philharmonic Choir
Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1 (Land Of Hope Glory) - Royal Choral Society

Customer Reviews:

I love it and I give it as a gift.......2006-12-11

This is the first collection of choral music that I've purchased and I love it. I own copies of operas and requiems and masses, but if you attend choral concerts, as I have been recently, you learn there is a huge colletion of choral music appart from the forms I've been listening to. I appreciate the producers selecting "Song for Athene" by Tavener and "Celebration (Standing Stone)" by McCartney. They are new to me and I love them. Disk 1 ends with "Jerusalem" and Disk 2 ends with "Land of Hope and Glory." As an American I rarely hear these and I am so glad they were included. I believe this album was intended to help popularize choral music and I believe the selections do fine job towards that end.

I know snobs rage against popularizing classical music, but everyone deserves exposure to the beauty of song. I will also mention here "The East Village Opera Company" because they work to popularize opera by setting it to a rock beat. They do a fine job but also get criticized for attempting to popularize classical music.

"The Best Choral Album in the World...Ever" was so popular with my teen-age daughter that it was hard to get it back from her. I give the album as a gift to nephews and nieces.

MarMSED.......2005-08-27

The music selections are extraordinary. The only problem has to do with the balance of sound. There are some parts that are very loud, and some that are so very soft. You have to continually adjust the volume.

Diverse range but the songs are butchered..........2005-07-24

Well, this CD isn't horrible by any stretch, but it is irritating to someone who's more than a casual listener of choral music. I'm by no means as musically "literate" as many reviewers out there, but I have a collection of probably twenty-five or thirty choral CD's and this is one that will probably be gathering dust in the back of the CD book.

The peices are well-performed for the most part, but they are hopelessly edited. Beethoven's Ode to Joy is somewhere around twenty four minutes, but this CD only includes an arrangement of about five minutes. The beautiful Miserere is, uncut, almost eleven minutes but is cut down to five and a half minutes here.

Looking back, I should have realized the major editing that would be involved, just by the sheer number of peices on it. I'm familiar with a great many of them and I know they're too long to fit onto a seventy minute disc without some major cutting going on. I just didn't reason that out before I shelled out the money for it.

Bottom line. This CD has decent singing, but is nothing special. If you're a newcomer to this genre, you might get this as a quick overview of the different types of choral music out there, but if you're any kind of an avid listener, this CD will drive you insane with the severity of the cuts. Beginners, if you're looking for a great collection CD, you'd do better to look at "Choral Moods". It doesn't have the diversity in styles of this one, but it will introduce you to incredibly talented composers. To the old hats out there, steer clear of this one and look to CD's by your preferred individual composers themselves. It's more money, but much less frustration in the long run. The old sayings are sometimes the best: You get what you pay for.

Berlioz: Requiem; Boito: Prologue to Mefistofele

Average customer rating:

Outstanding
Great but not the Ultimate
A superb modern performance of the Berlioz Requiem.
Utterly magnificent!
Fantastic Recording of a Fantastic Work!

Berlioz: Requiem; Boito: Prologue to Mefistofele

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Verdi: Requiem & Operatic Choruses
Brahms - Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) / Auger, Stilwell, Atlanta SO, Robert Shaw
Fauré · Duruflé - Requiem / J. Blegen · J. Morris · Atlanta SO · Shaw
Durufle: Requiem, Mass-Con Jubilo, Motets / Plasson, von Otter
Dvorák: Requiem

ASIN: B000003CTJ
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

I. Requiem Et Kyrie
II. Dies Irae
III. Quid Sum Miser
IV. Rex Tremendae
V. Quaerens Me
VI. Lacrymosa
VII. Offertorium
VIII. Hostias

Tracks:

IX. Sanctus - John Aler
X. Agnus Dei - John Aler
I. Prelude And Chorus - John Cheek
II. Instrumental Scherzo And Dramatic Intermezzo
III. Vocal Scherzo
IV. Final Psalmody
Te Deum

Amazon.com essential recording

As one would expect, Robert Shaw's rendition of the Requiem is magnificently polished, with choral singing that is beyond compare. The drama is not quite as pronounced as with Davis and Munch, but the work's majestic architecture stands clearly revealed. For once, Telarc's thunderous, bass-heavy pickup adds something to the sonic picture. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding.......2005-12-28

Of all the modern recordings of Berlioz' Requiem, Robert Shaw's is the best on every count.

I wouldn't want to be without it.

However, I also wouldn't want to spend a day without the immortal Charles Munch/Boston Symphony version. Especially in the stunning new hybrid SACD remastering.

Simply, this is one of those times when it is just common sense to own two best recordings of the same work.

If you love this work and know these two recordings, you understand why.

Great but not the Ultimate.......2004-09-09

Whenever I hear works like this (or Mozart's or Verdi's or Brahm's Requiems) I am still in awe of the intellectual and emotional depths to which the composer plunged. This is a good, some might say great recording. I too am a Telarc fan and think their work is of the highest quality. Saying that, I will say that I found the work slightly "sterile" at least compared to Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic recording that is nothing short of titantic.

Beecham seemed to put his whole heart and soul into the project whereas the current recording is one of intellectual rather than emotional interest. I judge Requiems an odd way - by listening to the Lacrymosa. Whether it is Mozart or Verdi or Berliotz, this particular element seems to hit emotional paydirt. Judging in this case I find it (again) entirely adequate but without the verve of the Beecham recording.

One other thing - many times the orchestra overwhelms the vocalist and this should NEVER be the case unless directly ordered by the composer. What's more, this should never happen in a modern recording studio.

A superb modern performance of the Berlioz Requiem........2003-12-12

Two hundred years ago today, Louis-Hector Berlioz was born. This is a day for me to comment on a few of my favorite performances of his works, some of them "favorites by acclamation" and others simply those in which I find special merit, enough so that they are frequently in my CD players.

Berlioz's Requiem is, with Giuseppe Verdi's "Manzoni" Requiem, one of the two great dramatic renderings of this text; works that have stood the test of time. If the Verdi work is the more frequently performed and operatic Requiem, the Berlioz is the more "forward-looking" and not at all lacking in its own drama and grandeur.

One needs to go "back into the vaults" to find a recorded performance of this essential Berlioz work that matches Robert Shaw's stunning version in its balance of sublime beauty and visceral excitement, not to mention its spacious sonics, all the way back to the much earlier performances by Charles Munch and Sir Thomas Beecham in fact. And then, of course, one pays a fairly heavy penalty in terms of sonics.

Despite the resources required, the work hardly lacks for "decent" recordings that are more modern than the Beecham and Munch ones, by such esteemed Berlioz specialists as Sir Colin Davis and Charles Dutoit, as well as by James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Seiji Ozawa and Sir Andre Previn. But "decent" is just not good enough; some of these fail to catch fire in one way or another, and none of them have the choral excellence of this Shaw recording under consideration. Only the Dutoit (in an otherwise curiously unengaging performance) can come close to matching Shaw in terms of recorded sound. (In fairness, I confess to not yet having heard John Eliot Gardiner's recording. It may, in its HIP [historically informed performance] way, be the equal of this Shaw recording.)

Shaw finds the appropriate dynamic contrasts in the work, from the gentlest supplications of the "Sanctus" and "Agnus Dei" to the most violent outbursts of the "Dies irae" and "Rex tremendae." The sound - and the perception of depth and spatial effects - is of demonstration quality, particularly in the "Tuba mirum" section of the "Dies irae," for which four brass bands are disposed at the extreme corners of the recording venue at Atlanta Symphony Hall.

The blazing originality of Berlioz shines through everywhere, not just in the instrumental (and choral) outbursts. The otherworldly effect in the "Hostias" of having flutes and trombones separated by many octaves, to represent the immensity of the distance from Heaven to Hell, is captured perfectly, right down to the trombones' pedal-tone growl (just one of many Berlioz innovations). John Aler, arguably our very best "American French tenor," is splendid in the "Sanctus," and the Shaw chorus, needless to say, is one that is seldom - if ever - topped.

John Aler can also be found on a Delos recording of another Berlioz work in a similar vein, the Te Deum (conducted by Dennis Keene), a recording I recommend highly. Regrettably, Robert Shaw never committed the Berlioz Te Deum to disc; it would have made a perfect filler. (This might be because of the special antiphonal "call and response" requirements between orchestra and organ that Berlioz takes pains to specify. Aler/Keene had the benefit of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine for their recording, a perfect venue for the work.)

But the two fillers in this boxed set - the Prologue to Arrigo Boito's Mefistofele and Verdi's Te Deum - which earlier filled a Telarc LP - are nonetheless excellent "fits" for the Berlioz Requiem.

I can remember, a quarter-century ago, when Norman Treigle "owned" the role of Mefistofele while he was at the New York City Opera (an ownership that was subsequently taken over by Samuel Ramey upon Treigle's unfortunate death by suicide). If John Cheek isn't quite the match for Treigle or Ramey, he doesn't miss by much. And the ASO performance and Telarc recording quality are pretty much assured of shaking your rafters just as well as the dramatic parts of the Berlioz work will.

The Verdi work is equally fine, but not nearly as cataclysmic as his "Manzoni" Requiem or Berlioz's own Te Deum.

The age of these performances (1984 for the Berlioz and 1979 for the fillers) doesn't show a bit. And neither does Berlioz the composer, 200 years old today.

Bon anniversaire, M. Berlioz!

Bob Zeidler

Utterly magnificent!.......2003-06-02

A while ago I gave my opinion of Dutoit's recording of the Berlioz Requiem on this site, and took the opportunity to sing the praise of this magnificent work - extensively so, and I won't repeat myself here. But every time I hear it, it again seems to grow in stature. In fact, I feel this work is so profound that it is more than worthy to stand alongside those other very greatest choral works in history, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Bach's Hohe Messe.
And this recording must be the best one made of it (there really ought to be many, many more to choose from, though!). That Shaw knows how to get the best out of a chorus we knew, but frankly I haven't been unreservedly happy with his handling of the orchestra in some other recordings (Mahler's Eight seems a relevant case in point). However, no such reservations here. Details are meticulously moulded, tempo's perfectly judged, and dynamics closely observed (though a little more 'swell' would have been welcome here and there). Rhythmic articulation is stunningly crisp both in chorus and orchestra (notice the choral singing in the Kyrie!). John Aler is the perfect soloist in the Sanctus, giving an unforced, deeply dignified reading of a piece that too often is allowed to veer towards the operatic - and this Requiem certainly isn't opera!
To top things of all these glorious sounds are caught in the best Telarc fashion, with completely natural perspectives and a thrillingly spacial feel to the four brass bands - not only in the Tuba Mirum, but in their quieter parts elsewhere too. Details remain clearly audible when textures thicken. All in all, a recording that allows full and unhampered immersion in this deeply moving and at times overwhelming masterpiece. I would still like to here John Elliot Gardiner's take on this work, as I did after hearing the Dutoit, but I doubt he can do very much better than this.

Fantastic Recording of a Fantastic Work!.......2003-02-08

The Berlioz Requiem is seldom performed, simply because of the sheer enormity of the production and the number of musicians involved. The large main orchestra is surrounded by four brass choirs, in addition to a choir of several hundred voices. There are no less than 16 tympanists, 18 trombonists, 12 horns and nine cymbalists.

Tracks:

Sub Tuum Praesidum - Monks & Choir Of Downside Abbey
Miserere Mei, Deus - Gerald Finley
Veni Sancte Spiritus - Hilliard Ensemble
O Nata Lux - Choir Of King's College
Verbum Caro Factum Est - CLERKES OF OXENFORD
Buccinate In Neomenia Tuba - Barry Rose
O Magnum Mysterium - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Ave Verum Corpus - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Tu Es Petrus - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Kyrie - Hilliard Ensemble
Gloria - Choir Of St. John's College, Cambridge
Credo - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Sanctus - Hilliard Ensemble
Agnus Dei - Hilliard Ensemble
Absalon, Fili Mi - Hilliard Ensemble
Hosanna To The Son Of David - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Spem In Alium - Paul Nicholson

Tracks:

Gloria In Excelis Deo - Deborah Norman
Laudamus Te - Deborah Norman
Magnificat Anima Mea - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
For Unto Us A Child Is Born - Ambrosian Singers
Bereite Dich, Zion - Janet Baker
Zadok the Priest (Coronation Anthem) - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Cum Sancto Spiritu - Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Et Incarnatus Est - Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Chorale Prelude BWV622 - Peter Hurford
Zion Hort Die Wachter Singen - South German Madrigal Choir
Erbarme Dich, Mein Gott - Stephanie Blythe
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Thou Knowest, Lord (Funeral Music For Queen Mary) - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Hear My Prayer, O Lord - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded (Passion Chorale) - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Crucifuxus A 8 - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
I Know That My Redeemer Liveth - Ambrosian Singers
Hallelujah Chorus - Ambrosian Singers

Tracks:

Introit: Requiem Aeternam - Felicity Lott
Kyrie - Felicity Lott
Lacrimosa Dies Illa - Felicity Lott
Laudate Dominum - Barbara Hendricks
Regina Coeli - Kolner Kammerchor
Laudams Te - Kiri Te Kanawa
Benedictus - Julia Hamari
Alleuluia - Lucia Popp
Ave Verum Corpus K618 - Swedish Radio Chorus
With Verdure Clad - Arleen Auger
The Heavens Are Telling - Arleen Auger
Kyrie - Carolyn Watkinson
Gloria In Excelsis Deo - Carolyn Watkinson
Kyrie - Janet Baker
Die Ehre Gottes Aus Der Natur (Nie Himmel Ruhmen) Op.48 No.4 Orch. Mottl - New Philharmonia Chorus
Gloria - Waltraud Meier

Tracks:

Prelude - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Ave Maria - Janet Baker
Credo - Opening - Laurence Dale
Sanctus - Laurence Dale
The Sheperds' Farewell - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Tu, Christie, Rex Gloriae - Marie-Claire Alain
Pie Jesu - Nancy Argenta
Ubi Caritas Op.10 No.1 - Winchester Cathedral Choir
Cantique De Jean Racine Op.11 - Winchester Cathedral Choir
Panis Angelicus - Halle Choir
Laudamus Te - Choeurs De Radio France
Vinea Mea Electa (Four Motets For A Time Of Penitence) - Harry Christophers
Priere A Notre-Dame (Suite Gothique Op.25) - Fredric Bayco
O Sacrum Convivium - London Voices
Sanctus - Olaf Bar
Libera Me - Olaf Bar
In Paradisum - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge

Tracks:

Sanctus - Stuttgart Hymnus Boys' Choir
O Rest In The Lord - Janet Baker
And Then Shall Your Light Break Forth - Janet Baker
Cujus Animam - Robert Gambill
Gott Ist Mein Hirt (Psalm 23) D706 - Sir Philip Ledger
Heilig, Heilig, Heilig - Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Ave Maria - Anneliese Rothenberger
Ave Verum Corpus - Harry Bramma
Choral-Improvisation Op.65 - Sir Philip Ledger
Ave Maria - New Philharmonia Chorus
Evening Hymn (Te Lucis Ante Terminum) - Thomas Trotter
Recordare - Nicolai Ghiaurov
Ingemisco - Nicolai Ghiaurov
Lux Aeterna - Nicolai Ghiaurov
Wie Lieblich Sind Deine Wohnungen - BBC Symphony Chorus
Gloria In Excelsis Deo - In Terra Pax - Laudamus Te - London Symphony Chorus
I Was Glad - Cambridge University Musical Society Chorus

Tracks:

Agnus Dei - National Youth Choir Of Great Britain
Ave Maria - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
I. Maestoso Ma Energico - Allegro Molto - Rachel Masters
Pie Jesu (Requiem) - Jane Gilchrist
Libera - Christopher Robson
Ave Maria - Lesley Garrett
Kyrie - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Totus Tuus Op.60 - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Magnificat - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Ave Maria (Vespers Op.37) - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Song For Athene - Winchester Cathedral Choir
Nunc Dimittis - Martin Neary
Requiem Aeternam - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
Agnus Dei (Adagio For Strings) - Winchester Cathedral Choir
Benedictus - Guy Johnson

Average customer rating:

Flawless, relaxing, uplifting! It will move you!

Euphoric Classics: A Classical High

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000D9WWS
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Tracks:

Sunrise (Also Sprach Zarathustra) (Opening) - David Bell
Montegues And Capulets (Dance Of The Knights) - The Philadelphia Orchestra
Vision - Richard Souther
Toccata & Fugue In D Minor - VANESSA MAE
Ode To Joy - Westminster Choir
Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jolity - Philharmonia Orchestra
The Mission - Ennio Morricone And His Orchestra
Au Fond Du Temple Saint - Nicolai Gedda
The Heart Asks Pleasure First - Michael Nyman
II. Allegretto (Openin) - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Lacrimosa - David Bell
Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis - Opening - London Philharmonic Orchestra
Te Deum - Philharmonia Orchestra
Adagio In G Minor (Realised Giazotto)(Extrac) - Sir Neville Marriner
Song Of Our Homeland (Prince Igor) - Izzy
Intermezzo (Cavalleria Rusticana) - Philharmonia Orchestra
Nessun Dorma (Turandot) - Jose Carreras
Celebration (Standing Stone) - Lawrence Foster

Tracks:

Fanfare For The Common Man - Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra
the Ride Of The Valkyries (Die Valkyrie) - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Piano Concerto No. 3 In D Minor I:Allegro Ma Non Tanto (Opening) - Mikhail Rudy
O Fortuna (Carmina Burana) - Franz Welser-Most
Casta Diva (Norma) - Maria Callas
Adagio For Strings - Eugene Ormandy
The Eternal Knot - Pamela Thorby
Sarabende - Academy Of St Martin In The Fields
A German Requiem - Roger Norrington
Nimrod ('Enigma Variations') - London Symphony Orchestra
Summer (The Four Seasons) III: Presto - Riccardo Muti
Facades - John Harle
March And Canzona (Muisc For The Funeral Of Queen Mary) - Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Bolero (Conclusion) - Andre Previn
March To The Scaffold (Symphonie Fantastique) - Andre Previn
'Unfinished' Symphony I Allegro Moderato (Opening) - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
The Lamb - Jeremy Backhouse

Customer Reviews:

Flawless, relaxing, uplifting! It will move you!.......2005-10-02

So far this my favorite classical CD of the year. I never tire of listening to it (over and over on my iPod). It contains some really beautiful renditions of very moving classical pieces, both modern and ancient. All in all an emotional and dramatic presentation. The overall effect is relaxing but it will definitely never bore you!

Berlioz - Te Deum / Alagna, M-C. Alain, Orchestre de Paris, Nelson

Average customer rating:

very impressive
After all this, I am still keener on Keene.
Strange sonic effects, decent orchestra, dodgy vocals
Not as keen on Keene
Berlioz Te Deum

Berlioz - Te Deum / Alagna, M-C. Alain, Orchestre de Paris, Nelson
Hector Berlioz , John Nelson , Roberto Alagna , Marie-Claire Alain , and Orchestre de Paris
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Berlioz: Harold in Italy Op16; Mort de Cléopâtre, scène lyrique
Russian Album
Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs

ASIN: B000055Y1N
Release Date: 2001-04-10

Tracks:

Te Deum, Op.22: I. Te Deum Laudamus Hymne
Te Deum, Op.22: II. Tibi Omnes Hymne
Te Deum, Op.22: Prld
Te Deum, Op.22: III. Dignare Priere
Te Deum, Op.22: IV. Tu, Christe, Rex Gloriae Hymne
Te Deum, Op.22: V. Te Ergo Quaesumus Priere
Te Deum, Op.22: VI. Judex Crederis Hymne Et Priere
Te Deum, Op.22: March For The Presentation Of The Colours - Orchestre De Paris

Customer Reviews:

very impressive.......2006-12-29

I have this Te Deum, the one by Abbado and the one by Davis. This one has the best chorus, the clearest recorded, and it's the only one where the children's choir really can be heard distinctly. The Abbado is a good version also, played slower, and the string section noticeably more pronounced (especially noticeable at the climax at the great Tibi Omnes). The Davis one I don't particularly like, very muddy sound, not the sharpest ensemble. However, no matter how you subjectively look at it, there is no doubt this version has unique tracks not included in the other recordings, the Presentation of the Flags, etc.
Highly recommended.

After all this, I am still keener on Keene........2003-05-31

Some time back, I wrote a favorable review of the Berlioz Te Deum as performed in New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine, under forces led by Dennis Keene, with John Aler as the tenor soloist. I said then that the Keene recording, on the Delos label, is an audiophile's delight, as well as a totally idiomatic performance of one of Berlioz's less familiar "ceremonial" or "occasion" works. (For that performance, the occasion was significant enough: The 100th anniversary of the American Guild of Organists.) The editorial reviewer was dismissive of that Keene effort, a point that was not lost on other customer reviewers besides myself, and was quite outspoken about favoring this Nelson recording.

Well, this being the Berlioz Bicentennial year, during which I've been spending a fair bit of time listening (and relistening) to Berlioz works as part of the celebration, I thought it a good idea to add the Nelson recording to my Berlioz holdings, if for no other reason than to see what all the fuss was about.

By all accounts, this Nelson recording should have been at least the equal of the Keene; all the proper ingredients seemed to be in place. John Nelson is an experienced and sympathetic Berlioz hand. Roberto Alagna may be our finest French tenor today (but the timbre of his voice may well be an acquired taste). Marie-Claire Alain is the French organist non pareil, and she has a marvelous instrument in the Cavaille-Coll organ at the Madeleine Cathedral in Paris. And the Madeleine is certainly a proper cruciform cathedral of more than satisfactory natural reverberance (as is the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, of course).

Given all that, my dissatisfaction with this performance set in very early on in the listening process, and subsequently didn't improve measurably. As this editorial reviewer makes clear (in a review that was "borrowed" from the Andante.com website), Berlioz's idea of setting the organ off (and against) the orchestral forces was meant to represent "Pope and Emperor." But the organ - awesome instrument that it is - simply overpowers the forces of the Orchestre de Paris. The effect can be overwhelming, but I doubt this is what Berlioz had in mind; surely he didn't think the Pope to be that much higher than the Emperor that the relative dynamic levels convey. And this is only the beginning of what I take as rather fundamental misbalances in sound level, both between organ and orchestra and within the orchestra as well.

My impression of the performance slipped another notch, with the initial exposed entry of the sopranos in the opening "Te Deum" movement, where their ensemble work is sloppy and their intonation hardly of world-class quality. One also begins to hear, here, the sense of less-than-ideal orchestral balance, with generally submerged strings and lower brass relative to the rest of the orchestra. (Most disconcertingly, this balance seems to change from time to time in the work, suggesting that someone may be twiddling knobs in a manner not in the best interests of the music.)

Whether one prefers the darker, almost baritonal, voice of Roberto Alagna in the "Te ergo quaesumus" movement to the more conventionally colored tenor of John Aler will be, I suppose, largely a matter of personal taste. I tend to believe that Berlioz had a timbre in mind that is much closer to Aler's than to Alagna's, but there is no disputing the fact that Alagna has the beauty and the authority, and the declamatory power when necessary, for this movement. To me, his voice is an acquired taste in this work; to others, this problem may not exist.

Things go awry again, regarding balances and timbres, in the concluding "Judex crederis" movement. For example, the trombones, such an important instrumental choir in the Berlioz orchestra, are anemic; almost unheard. And, toward the end of the movement, when the trombones are called upon to growl out their pedal tones, no one seems to be at home. In the concluding bars, Alain's organ once again is impressive. But it is at the expense of organ-orchestra balance: "The Pope wins! The Pope wins!"

By comparison, Keene's "Te Deum" is much better balanced, with neither the organ nor the orchestra overpowering the other (and with them in better tune with each other, often a challenge). Percussion in "Judex crederis" is appropriately dramatic. Choral entrances are spot-on and in-tune. Overall, Keene's Voices of Ascension Orchestra is far better balanced, top to bottom, than is Nelson's Orchestre de Paris, and Keene has a fine sense of Berliozian style, capturing the fleetness of some of the figures that is so characteristic of Berlioz. The sound may appear to be more diffuse than in the Nelson recording, but it is also more natural, without artificial spotlighting.

The Te Deum is a relatively short work, running barely 40 minutes. So the question of what is an appropriate filler arises, particularly a filler that can take advantage of the same acoustical space. Keene chose to provide a 20-minute commentary, with examples, about the work, which is fine for the Berlioz newbie but which can wear thin after a hearing or two. Nelson chose to add two rarely-performed emendations set forth by Berlioz "for ceremonial occasions": an instrumental "Prélude" as the third movement, mostly unobtrusive thanks to its relative brevity, and a concluding "Marche" following the "Judex crederis" which comes as a very out-of-place "coda" that destroys the effect that should linger at the conclusion of the work. Scored for multiple harps added to the orchestra, it is Berlioz at his most banal and eccentric, something he probably wished he had never written.

My advice, if you plan to add a recording of the Te Deum to your Berlioz library as part of the bicentennial celebration (or simply because you want a version of the work), remains that you acquire the Keene performance.

Bob Zeidler

Strange sonic effects, decent orchestra, dodgy vocals.......2002-11-14

The sound of this recording is at first hearing very impressive - full and bright, with plenty of bass, especially from the organ, and plenty of expansion at the climaxes. But there are balance problems and, worse, every time the choir sings the letter "s" the sibilance jumps out at you like a snake - Te Deum Laudamusss. The effect is really weird, as if they had a choir composed entirely of people with bad lisps. To make it worse they are rather sloppy with their "s"'s, smearing them out rather than taking them cleanly and quickly (which should be absolutely basic choral technique). Thiss leadss me to ssusspect that the production team did some messing around with the high frequencies, maybe boosting them to get a brighter sound but with this unwanted side-effect. Whatever caused it, it's very distracting.

The balance problems include extremely distant strings - in the first movement you essentially can't hear the violins. This is a shame because they add a lot to the varying textures of the music, as I discovered listening to the Abbado - and dominant brass and organ. If you want the organ to make the same amount of noise as the 80-piece orchestra, then fine, but I think the idea was for the organ to be an extra colour, blended and balanced within the orchestral texture, or a sort of echo, rather than a muscle-bound competitor. Even in the quieter passages the organ bass tends to boom.

The quality of the orchestral playing is very fine, but with the unequal recording the sound lacks depth, tending towards being "all on the surface". It also sounds as if the recording was made in a very resonant acoustic, since in the quieter passages the instruments and voices are somehow suspended in a sea of echoes, rather than having a clear focus. This sort of acoustic would be great for, say, a capella choral music or Gregorian chant, but tends to make Berlioz' vigorous orchestral accents into broad splurges.

The choir leaves a certain amount to be desired: the men, to be frank, sound like teenagers, with a strained, nasal and ill-supported timbre which doesn't blend (maybe this is the "French choir sound?"), and the women are noticeably flat in their exposed lines in the "Tibi Omnes". You can't hear this in Amazon's excerpts since they cunningly cut off just at the end of the orchestral introductions! However, in the louder tutti sections these defects are not so noticeable. The children are excellent.

I can just about stomach Alagna's solo - if this is bel canto, give me can belto any day. His tone quality is extremely uneven: half the time he seems in danger of turning into a baritone, half the time trying to be Pavarotti. While such variegation of colour might be appropriate for a melodramatic opera scene, Berlioz' solo with its long phrasing requires a simpler and less fervid approach. With Alagna, by the end of a phrase you and the music are exhausted by the sheer amount of "expression" he puts in.
Araiza for Abbado has a steadier tone and is much less indulgent. Again, all you can hear in Amazon's "sample" is the orchestral introduction - not much use.

Unfortunately the Abbado/DG version, which is in good digital sound and is a great overall interpretation, isn't available in the US: I got it from amazon.co.uk. Abbado's superb opera and orchestral conducting are evident and he treats the piece as a coherent whole, with an almost narrative flow, rather than a set of sonic showpieces interspersed with pious arias. The slow contemplative movements under Nelson tend to drag, which may have contributed to the sopranos' pitch problems; with Abbado they have direction.

Not as keen on Keene.......2001-06-10

My first experience with the Te Deum was Abbado's on Lp years ago. I have since lived comfortably with the Delos release featuring Dennis Keene and his augmented Voices of Ascention, recorded live in New York's St. John the Divine with nearly 400 musicians during the Centennial Celebration of the American Guild of Organists in June, 1996. Now I must say that I prefer this new Virgin release featuring John Nelson and Co.

Conductor and recording engineer bring out detail on the Virgin release that I just don't hear on the Delos. Though I'm not quite the expert on big organs of the world that I would like to be, I have to say I find Alain's Cavaille-Coll on Virgin to be every bit as earth shaking as the St. John instrument, but-whether fault of conductor, recording, or venue, (St John's is the largest gothic space in the world)-the St. John's on Delos is simply not as penetrating. This is particularly unfortunate for Delos in the final Hymne et Priere as the organ's descending pedal tones under the words "Judex crederis..." can provide for some viscerally thrilling moments. Listen to Virgin's success at this point. (Marie Claire-Alain-you go girl!)

In fact, there's a soft-edged quality in the Delos that affects and blurs not only the organ lines, but the choral and orchestral lines as well. Individual lines and colors are much more pronounced on the new Virgin CD. For example, Berlioz plays on the words "Per singulos" (day by day), by repeating the motif over and over again. I find Nelson's incisive approach much more invigorating than the soft-edged Keene, who makes the composer's cleverness at this point sound naïve--a danger in Berlioz. Ironically, I find Nelson's handling of the tender and poetic moments more effective as well. Alagna sings with adequate glow.

Speaking of naïve-sounding music, how shall I put it? When listening to Berlioz' "occasional pieces" such as the Te Deum, I would say the more polyphony and color brought out the better. This is what Nelson and his forces seem to successfully achieve. And the children's choir. I haven't heard kids chant so ominously since that poor obese boy met his cruel death in "Lord of the Flies." Listen to them sing "Judex crederis esse venturus." (We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge) in the final mov't. Very impressive and effective coloring, which went by my ears unnoticed in the Keene.

The Virgin/Nelson performance is unique in that it includes some optional music not available on other recordings, as far as I know; though the final "March for the presentation of the colors, with its 12 harps-coming after the "standard finale"-is a little bit too much, even for me.

Berlioz Te Deum.......2001-05-15

It is impossible to rate this CD. Berlioz is the composer, not the conductor!! Which orchestra? Who is the conductor? Which choral group? Who are the singers? We need more information!!

Average customer rating:

A great performance, but I question the "improved" sound
Famous Davis recording remastered (Philips 50 series)

Berlioz: Requiem; Te Deum

Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
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Des Knaben Wunderhorn

ASIN: B00005IB56
Release Date: 2001-04-30

Tracks:

Requiem (Grande Messe Des Morts): I. Requiem Et Kyrie (Introitus) - Wandsworth School Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/Arthur Oldham
Requiem (Grande Messe Des Morts): II. Dies Irae (Prosa) - Wandsworth School Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/Arthur Oldham
Requiem (Grande Messe Des Morts): III. Quid Sum Miser - Wandsworth School Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/Arthur Oldham
Requiem (Grande Messe Des Morts): IV. Rex Tremendae - Wandsworth School Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/Arthur Oldham
Requiem (Grande Messe Des Morts): V. Quaerens Me - Wandsworth School Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/Arthur Oldham
Requiem (Grande Messe Des Morts): VI. Lacrymosa - Wandsworth School Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/Arthur Oldham
Requiem (Grande Messe Des Morts): VII. Offertorium - Wandsworth School Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/Arthur Oldham
Requiem (Grande Messe Des Morts): VIII. Hostias - Wandsworth School Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/Arthur Oldham

Tracks:

Requiem (Grande Messe Des Morts): IX. Sanctus - Ronald Dowd/Wandsworth School Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/Arthur Oldham
Requiem (Grande Messe Des Morts): X. Agnus Dei - Wandsworth School Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/Arthur Oldham
Te Deum: I. Te Deum - Nicolas Kyanaston/Wandsworth Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/John Alldis
Te Deum: II. Tibi Omnes - Nicolas Kyanaston/Wandsworth Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/John Alldis
Te Deum: III. Dignare - Nicolas Kyanaston/Wandsworth Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/John Alldis
Te Deum: IV. Christe, Rex Gloriae - Nicolas Kyanaston/Wandsworth Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/John Alldis
Te Deum: V. Te Ergo Quaesumus - Franco Tagliavini/Nicolas Kyanaston/Wandsworth Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor...
Te Deum: VI. Judex Crederis - Nicolas Kyanaston/Wandsworth Boys' Chor/Russell Burgess/London Sym Chor/John Alldis

Customer Reviews:

A great performance, but I question the "improved" sound.......2006-07-25

I'm sympathetic to the glowing review given below. I've lived with Colin Davis's classic Berlioz Requiem, so it was great to learn that there was a new remastering. Alas, the original tape source must not be in very good shape. The "Philips 50" series didn't do great things with Davis's Messiah, and the same holds ture here: climaxes still curnch, brass outbursts sting the ear, and the soundstage is boxy and restricted.

I'd go so far as to say that later Berlioz Requiems with great sound--from Levine, Shaw, and Ozawa--are so much more listenable that the Davis set is outdated. I don't know what kind of audio system anyone else has, but mine reveals major sonic improvements on many reissues, just not this one.

Famous Davis recording remastered (Philips 50 series).......2004-04-24

Since there is no cover picture or description, I will enlighten you that this release is part of the well engineered Philips 50 series, featuring some of the best recordings made by Philips (formerly Phonogram) in its history. Not all of the releases, this one included, were made available in the USA. But Amazon has been gracious to feature it as a special import.

The first CD version is still available (Amazon asin # B00000E34S, more reviews there).

And special it is. The recordings come from the Colin Davis Berlioz cycle form the the 1970s. And they are some of the best of that cycle at that.

The Requiem is brilliant. Without detracting from the obvious spectacle you get with such a large contingent of musicians, Davis never gets lost in the massiveness of the piece. Berlioz composition is both Grand (the full title is "Grande Messe des morts", or "Grand Mass for the Dead") and sublime, and Davis captures the sublime elements as few other conductors have ever done. The choruses (the London Symphony Chorus and the Wandsworth School Boys Choir) work together well, and the soloists are very fine.

The TE Deum is also given a memorable rendition by the LSO and Davis.

Sound is ever so important with a work as large as the Berlioz Requiem, and the Philips engineers, both the original recording engineers and the digital remastering engineers, deserve the bulk of the credit for this presentation. with such massive forces, engineers are challenged to give full efect to the sections that feature all of the forces and yet still capture the quite sections in a manner that makes them equally enjoyable in the home. With many recordings of the Requiem, you feel like you move from one position in the concert to another as the engineers try to "zoom in" to capture quieter moments and then "zoom out" get the full effect of the grand moments. With this recording, I feel like I never leave my seat, but I also never miss anything. I would give the Philips crew ten stars if allowed.

Tracks:

Amazing Grace (Arranged By Chris Hazell)
Shenandoah
1. The Vagabond
7. Whither Must I Wander?
I Must Go Down To The Seas Again
"Non PiAndrai" (Without Applause)
Recit: "Passegiammo Anche Noi.."
Il Cor Vi Dono
Ein Madchen Oder Weibchen
Io Ti Lascio, Oh Cara, Addio, K.App.245 (Vocal Part By G. Von Jacquin)
Erlkonig, D. 328 (Op.1)
Du Bist Die Ruh', D.776 (Op.59/3)
Der Musensohn, D.764 (Op.92/1)
Little Prince
They Call The Wind Maria [Paint Your Wagon]
Come Home [Allegro]
Ar Hyd Y Nos
Suo Gan
Cwm Rhondda
Y March Glas
Glas Y Dorlan
Si, Tra I Ceppi
Vouchsafe, O Lord
Lord God Of Abraham, Isaac And Israel
Silent Noon
4. Sleep
No.3 Go, Lovely Rose
Chanson De Mephistopheles. "Une Puce Gentille"
Sce 6. Air De Mephistophelees. "Voici Des Roses"
"Die Frist Ist Um" "Ew'ge Vernichtung, Nimm Uns Auf" (Hollander, Mannschaft De)
Wie Todesahnung... O Du Mein Holder Abendstern (Wolfram)
In Diesem Wetter
"Du Bist Wie Eine Blume", Op.25, No.24
"Die Beiden Grenadiere" Op.49, No.1
"Mein Wagen Rollet Langsam", Op.142, No.4
"Hereupon We're Both Agreed"
Ehi! Paggio!... L'onore! (Falstaff)
Deep River (Arranged By Chris Hazell)
Lord Bless You And Keep You
Amazing Grace

Average customer rating:

Berlioz Edition (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000093OSH
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Amazon.com

Sir Colin Davis has long been considered the world's finest Berlioz conductor, and over the years, Philips has released all of the composer's major works with Davis at the helm. Now, they're all here, in a 24-CD box, and it is an astonishing achievement. This treasure trove consists of the definitive, available readings of Les Troyens, Béatrice et Bénédict, and Benvenuto Cellini; a wonderfully energetic, passionate Roméo et Juliette; a Te Deum which is huge yet clear and not over-the-top for its own sake; Les Nuits d'été with different singers (of varying ranges in different songs), as Berlioz wanted them performed; the young Dame Janet Baker superb in Herminie and La Mort de Cléopatre; a relaxed, sweet Enfance du Christ; a Requiem which could knock you over; a Damnation de Faust which is both lyrical and exciting; a performance of Lélio which almost makes sense of that strange work; a Symphonie Fantastiquewith atmosphere and thrills; along with 7 overtures, 5 songs, and more. In addition to the moderate price, the packaging is such that the 24 CDs takes up less space than just the earlier releases of Cellini and Troyens together. This is one-stop shopping at its best. --Robert Levine

Average customer rating:

A tempting treasury, but only a few performances are great
Berlioz with immaginative variety

The Berlioz Experience

Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
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Grieg: Complete Music with Orchestra
Bruckner: The Nine Symphonies; Helgoland
Mendelssohn: 5 Symphonies; 7 Overtures
Brahms: Complete String Quartets, Quintets & Sextets

ASIN: B00008RWRJ
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Customer Reviews:

A tempting treasury, but only a few performances are great.......2007-02-03

Ten discs of Berlioz is a sumptuous offering, and temptingly cheap at Amazon Marketplace. DG has used this occasion to repackage some outstanding performances. At the top of the list goes James Levine's electrifying Requiem from Berlin, with playing and singing to match the conductor's inspiration. Also exciting--perhaps surprisingly so--is Abbado's Te Deum, which has rawer edges and sharper focus than Colin Davis's on Philips, long the standard version.

Dropping down a notch in quality, we have an elegantly played Romeo et Juliette by the Boston Symphony, superbly recorded, that has few rivals for refined virtuosity. But after a while Seiji Ozawa's approach seems to lack depth and meaning; he's skating over the surface of the musical drama, however brilliantly. Sharp and brilliant also describes Myung-Whun Chung's contribution, a Symponie fantastique, two overtures, and the Royal Hunt and Storm from Les Troyens, all with his well-trained Bastille Opera orchestra. Chung is to the manner born in Berlioz, but so are greater conductors in these works, including Munch and Markevitch.

At about the same quality level I'd place the Mort de Cleopatre, a dullish early vocal scene sung with plushness by Jessye Norman, and Kiri Te Kanawa's Les Nuits d'Ete, which is ravishing in terms of sheer vocalism but otherwise vacant. Daniel Barenboim's slack conducting does the piece no favors, either, which holds true on a much larger scale for his Damnation of Faust. This is a typical Barenboim product, full of lush sounds, excellent singing, big-scale orchestral work, but leading to a meager artistic payoff. Barenboim's Faust isn't remotely competitive with Markevitch, Chung, Solti, Pretre, and others in this work. It's great to hear Domingo in the title role, but the conducting is so routine that I'm not sure the overall experience is worth it.

We get odds and ends of varying quality: the rarely recorded Tristia done superbly by Boulez, an uneven batch of songs that previously appeared in their own double-CD set (a chore to listen to in its entirety, despite the occasional gem), and a pedestrain Harold in Italy conducted by Lorin Maazel in Berlin, a performance that DG surely could have bettered by looking deeper into their vaults.

In all, I can't see investing in such an uneven collection except at super-budget price. If you do a little searching, all the best things here can be gotten separately, and the lesser recordings pale by comparison with classic Berlioz from Colin Davis, Charles Munch, and Igor Markevitch.

Berlioz with immaginative variety.......2003-10-30

This box makes a nice alternative to the Philips boxes under Colin Davis. Not to take anything away from Davis. His Berlioz cycle certainly ranks up there with the elite for recording achievements. But many will not want to invest in all 3 boxes, so Universal has brought us a great compilation of some of Berlioz' best works from a variety of performers with different styles.
The jewel has to be Ozawa's unsurpassed Romeo and Juliet. This 1976 studio recording had its birth at the Tanglewood Festival and features excellent soloists (Julia Hamari, Jose Van Dam, and Jean Dupouy), a very competent choir, and of course the reliable Boston SO. The recording is of outstanding quality. It seems cleaned up a little from what I remember of the CDs from the mid 80s; much more spacious, less muddy sounding. I especially like the chorus in the hushed night scene.
Barenboim's Damnaton is perdictably Furtwangler-like in tempo, and again features top notch singers in Fischer Dieskau, Jules Bastin, & Placido Domingo; Yvonne Minto is probably not in the same class with the others, but she's more than acceptable.
Levine directs a well recorded and balanced classical-sounding Requiem, and Abbado is more than competent in the Te Deum.
Chung's Fantastique is fun and enjoyable, if not first-class.
The rest of the works are very commendable, if not top-of-the-class.
In short, you can't go wrong for the price, and if you love Berlioz' Romeo, you've got to get this box just for the Ozawa gem.

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