Verdi: Requiem & Operatic Choruses

Robert Shaw learned from Arturo Toscanini, and in his stupendous 1987 recording for Telarc he managed to surpass the master on some points. He is unerring in his pacing and staging of climaxes, and draws phrasing and dynamics from the chorus that other conductors can only dream of. Points are made with exhilarating effect throughout the account: never has the bass drum in the Dies irae been as splendidly hammered as here, and the whooping brass in the Tuba mirum is breathtaking. The all-American solo quartet sounds a bit driven, especially the light-voiced Susan Dunn and Jerry Hadley, but their contribution is a strong one nonetheless. --Ted Libbey Amazon.com

Worth the money

I have no dissappointments. It is clear that the featured artists have surprising talent. There was more than one 'Wow!' in this receording. February 26, 2008

THE 'faultless' REQUIEM?

I purchased this PG Rosette recording with high hopes, only to discover that the hype was (and is still) unjustified. Of the four soloists, only Curry and the late Hadley are entirely satisfactory, though regrettably the latter isn't as closely miked as his colleagues (but this is perhaps due to his lightweight timbre). Plishka's bass is dry, his 'Hostias' trill being quite memorably wobbly. Dunn isn't uplifting (ie too straight-faced) in 'Libera me': in addition to a shrieked-out B flat, her intonation is rather unreliable - is it possible that nobody has ever noticed her 'aetArnam' and repeated 'LibeRRa'? (I suggest that all 5-star reviewers clean their ears, or put on their headphones: on first hearing this, I wondered if the soprano is imploring God to deliver her from eternal death - 'libera me' - or asking for a drink/to be drunk - 'liberra me'.) The openings of 'Dies irae' are tame throughout (far from being hair-raising), and Shaw's tempi in 'Libera me' are erratic. DON CARLO being my favourite Verdi opera, its chorus isn't only bell-less but also mercilessly butchered (no point in recording it at all). Telarc's parsimonious tracking for the REQUIEM isn't as annoying as the performance itself, which I thought was blemishless. I might have enjoyed this recording if it were my first REQUIEM, but I got it in order to discover what the fuss is all about long after hearing the likes of Price (Ormandy, Reiner, Karajan and Solti), Milanov and Nelli (Toscanini), Tebaldi (Toscanini and de Sabata), Rysanek, Freni and Tomowa-Sintow (Karajan), Caniglia and Vartenissian (Serafin), Schwarzkopf (de Sabata and Giulini), Ligabue, Shuard and Sweet (Giulini), Arroyo (Bernstein), Sutherland (Solti), Ricciarelli, Studer and Gheorghiu (Abbado), Scotto and Studer (Muti), Orgonasova (Gardiner), and other soloists of both sexes on CD and DVD: no comparison. October 10, 2007

A memorable album by Robert Shaw

I sometimes wonder why any top choral conductor would want to conduct, least of all record, a piece where the soloists invariably command center stage at the expense of the chorus.

Robert Shaw (1916 - 1999), of course, is practically a god in the choral world. And while he has done well as an orchestral conductor, his claim to fame to most will always be his work with choruses.

So here we have an operatic requiem written by one of history's greatest opera composers, conducted by one of history's greatest choral conductors. How does it turn out?

The Atlanta Symphony Chorus is very, very good. Their sumptuous sound becomes even more memorable thanks to the stunning reverberation of Atlanta Symphony Hall. Their Libera Me fugue was literally a wall of sound that seemed for a moment to encompass your entire world. The Dum Veneris passage following that was the best I'd ever heard: all four parts were distinct and incredibly powerful.

The four soloists, however, really stole the show for me. Susan Dunn and Diane Curry displayed a lot of passion in Recordare. They also created a wonderfully blended sound through their Agnus Dei duet, probably the best blend I'd ever heard so far.

Jerry Hadley is definitely one of my all-time favorite Verdi Requiem tenors. He reminded me of Richard Tucker in his commanding Kyrie entrance. His Ingemisco possessed a ringing power that left me breathless.

Paul Plishka was probably the "weakest" of the four. In Confutatis, it sounded like he was punching his voice. However, he sounded very good in the Offertorio.

And speaking of Offertorio, that was truly a soloist high point for me. The four singers literally turned into a mini-opera; it was quite dramatic hearing their voices trade back and forth.

The sound of the orchestra was truly a pleasure to hear. This music demands power and virtuosity, and the Atlantans provided both in spades. And drum lovers will be quite satisfied with the almost violent sound of the bass drum in Dies Irae.

The album also features five popular choruses from Verdi's operas. If, like me, you got carried away listening to the Requiem soloists, here's your chance to hear this remarkable chorus without any soloist distraction. The "Don Carlos" chorus (sung in Italian not French) was a rousing affair. "Patria oppressa" was appropriately subdued and melancholy. Fuoco di gioia proved the virtuosity of these choral masters. "Va pensiero" was smooth and rich. "Gloria all'Egitto" featured the chorus in all its mighty grandeur. The orchestra provides excellent accompaniment throughout. You will thoroughly enjoy listening to these choruses.

The recorded sound is absolutely fabulous. The four sections of the chorus are much more evenly miked than on most CDs. The great engineering makes the orchestra an audiophile's dream.

The liner notes contain texts and translations. However, a previous reviewer has found that the "Hostias" paragraph is missing the words "Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam."

The tracks use an index system which I suspect is not available on most DVD players, the result being that the Dies Irae is put on a single 36 minute track.

This CD was recorded in April 1987 in Atlanta Symphony Hall, Atlanta, GA. The Requiem duration is 84'23", so the tempos are about average for this piece. April 16, 2007

Great version

There are version of Verdi's Requiems in that market. I consider this to be onre the best ones I have heard. What adds to this perfomance is the quality of the manufacturer's transfer. February 26, 2007

Superb

I don't have anything to add to the excellent reviews, I just want to chime in with my vote. This was rated as the top recording of this piece when I bought it on recomendation of a tenor friend back in 1990 or so and it is probably the best sustained operatic performace I have found thus far. The power and the majesty of this piece needs to be heard to be believed. So... Buy it, make sure the neighbors are out, turn the lights out, it in your best listening spot, turn up the volume and press play.

Don't miss the final track on the second disk! October 19, 2005

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