Search - Vienna Singverein, Herbert von Karajan, Lisa Della Casa :: Brahms: Deutsches Requiem / von Karajan

Unless you're really devoted to the beautiful Della Casa...

ingrid888 | An Island | 11/24/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is a live performance. It is mono. I'm not prejudiced against mono recordings, in fact, like classic black and white films they often have more character and visionary quality than the most modern recordings, but, having said that, this is a very muffled mono recording. You don't get a sense that you're hearing all of the orchestra or even all of the choir. The performance itself, as well, doesn't save the CD with any unusual power or subtlety. If you are a fan of Lisa Della Casa, though, I can say she sounds beautiful here. Also, (not a trivial point for some fans of Lisa Della Casa) there is a good photograph of her in the liner notes. (For those who don't know: Lisa Della Casa, along with being one of the most talented - if overshadowed - sopranos of her generation, was a very beautiful woman.) Back to the music: The powerful moments in the second movement, for instance, hardly register. I would only buy this if you are a devoted fan of Della Casa. That's not such a terrible reason to aquire this recording, and you then may even find small virtues in it that make it worthwhile. My review is for the general buyer looking for the best recordings of Brahms' Requiem."