Search - Jennifer Larmore, Thomas Hampson, Ambrosian Singers :: Fauré & Duruflé: Requiem / Bonney, Larmore, Hampson; Legrand

Outstanding Performance!!!

09/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although the Duruflé Requiem Mass (written after WW-II) is modelled formally on the Fauré Requiem (written 50 years earlier), the two works are very different. Fauré's work is a gentle, late Romantic piece, whereas Duruflé's, sounding every bit as French as Fauré's, displays modernist elements. It is more agitated than Fauré's untroubled work and more accurately exemplifies the feelings associated with death. Legrand clearly has great affection for the later piece and it actually comes off as the greater piece of music. Legrand, known for his work as a jazz pianist and popular songwriter, is actually a very sensitive conductor and he clearly has a keen understanding of French music and the way these works should be performed. He recognizes that the solemn occasion for which these works were written demands that the tempi not be too brisk, lest the feeling of solemnity be forgotten. Anything faster than his tempi on this record would sound inappropriately rushed.The soloists are excellent. Thomas Hampson's unerring sense of style is well suited to French music and he sings with admirable poise and conviction. One of the most telling differences between these two works is the "Pie Jesu" movement. Fauré wrote it for a soprano soloist. The writing is relatively light and Barbara Bonney copes well with its high tessitura. Duruflé clearly liked the idea of writing this movement for a female soloist, but, perhaps wishing to probe deeper spiritually than Fauré, Duruflé wrote a much darker, more serious, and, in fact, much more meaningful movement, for a mezzo-soprano soloist. Jennifer Larmore sings it absolutely perfectly and Legrand's accompaniment, especially in the rapturous pianissimi of the opening and closing of the movement, is likewise perfectly sympathetic. The orchestral playing from the Philharmonia Orchestra, as in every other respect on this record, is excellent in the climax of this movement. It is very, very difficult to imagine this unspeakably beautiful and moving "Pie Jesu" being performed any better than on this disc. It certainly confirms that Jennifer Larmore is one of the great and certainly one of the most intelligent mezzos on record. Indeed, this whole recording, including the choral singing and the warm quality of the recording itself, is characterized by excellence. This truly sublime music deserves no less."

Disappointed generally

01/27/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I was looking for a full-bodied mature reading of this beautiful piece. I was leery of Hampson's sophisticated but often undersized vocalism, but hearing the Pie Jesu was a good woman soprano (not a boy treble) and that the chorus sounded rich, I decided to try this recording.The problem with the recording is not Hampson's. He sounds fine. The conductor Legrand chose ridiculously slow tempi, such that some of the climatic moments felt like they were in molasses. Also, there were intonation problems throughout, especially the chorus. So while there is promise in the various performances, I am terribly disappointed and frustrated by the overall result."