Search - London Symphony Orchestra :: Berlioz: Requiem Op. 5 ;Grande Messe des Morts [Hybrid SACD]

AT LONG LAST! WE GET TO HEAR THE FIRST REALLY GOOD RECORDING

R. J. Gonzalez | Napa, CA United States | 08/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THIS IS PHENOMENAL!!!



I own all the surround versions of this music in SACD and DVD-audio formats. Much as I like the Norrington on SACD, this one is the best, musically. The original LPs and RBCD issues, while good, did not do justice to what the Philips engineers had captured on their master tapes at Westminster Cathedral in November of 1969. The Spano on Telarc, while good, is way too polite for the fire and brimstone this work really needs. His also lacks the acoustics this work needs to envelop the listener, not to mention Spano is tame, when compared to Davis. Davis can be completely sweet and lyrical, then suddenly ferocious, while always succeeding in maintaining the long lines of musical argument.



This is wonderful. Colin Davis has made a specialty of this work for many, many years. The best thing about the wrap-around sound of this disc is that it reproduces the sound of this amazing piece in an acoustic that does it justice. No, it does NOT have Telarc-size bass! The perspective is more distant, but it captures the sound of inspired performers making impassioned music and responding to the work AND the acoustics of the space in which they are performing the work. The tempos are unfailingly musical, while never dragging, and the performance works on all levels. The acoustics, though not mentioned in the Pentatone booklet, are those of Westminster Cathedral, according to the Matthew B. Tepper Internet site which lists all of the recordings of the work.



The performance is subtle but has great ferocity when needed in the big moments. When the men push to sing through the barrage of percussion and brass in the Tuba Mirum, they cut loose with wonderful energy that is quite hair-raising. As the other sections of the choir join in, they respond with the same level of energy and purpose. The engineers resist the temptation to change the dynamics of the work, so the dynamic range of the piece is pretty much on the tapes as transferred. The Lacrymosa manages to have both rhythmic precision AND long, singing lines, with amazing bite when needed. The counterpoint of the orchestral accompaniment and the syncopations are pointed and really well-proportioned, so the rhythm just blooms around the superb choral work.



The recording is 4.0 surround. The best way to hear it is with matching, full-range speakers around the listening area. The bass response has NOT been ticked up. It sounds like huge forces in a huge building, enveloping the listener in waves of sound. There is plenty of clarity for the smaller moments, but the building sings right along with the Godly racket when the full forces are unleashed.



This classic recording has been brought back in the format that finally does it justice. Do not buy this unless you intend to open it wide on the system and let it roll through the house!



If you love this piece, as I do, and you want to hear one of the great recordings of this work in the best format to ever do it justice, this release is self-recommending!



GET THIS and SUPPORT PENTATONE Classics! BRAVO to all concerned, in 1969 AND 2008!!! PLEASE, PentaTone, give us more of the Davis recordings from Philips in Boston, especially the COMPLETE Sibelius with that great, gleaming Boston Symphony Orchestra!!!"

YES!

Jeff Brown | Portland, OR | 02/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love this recording. The orginal version was very good, but some of the loud parts or sections with deep base were difficult to appreciate. This new version is tremendous. It is amazing how clear this recording sounds with Pentatone's work after all these years. All aspects are clear with a huge dynamic and frequency range. In comparison to the recent Spano version, this sounds so much more mature and emotional. Buy this disc without hesitation."

Still one of the finest Berlioz Requiems and now in surround

W. Chiles | San Francisco, CA USA | 12/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have owned nearly every commercially available recording of this wonderfully bizarre and beautiful piece including Charles Munch's Bavarian Radio and Boston Symphony, Berntein's French Radio Orch recorded in Les Invalides, Shaw's and Spano's Atlanta Symphony & Chorus and at last have heard the long heralded Colin Davis recording captured in Westminster Cathedral. It's a revelation to hear it remastered in 4.0 surround with the smooth response curve of SACD technology.



Philips has long provided outstanding sonics in their recordings so their SACDs do not tend to stand out quite as much as say, RCA's rerelease of the Munch 1959 performance recorded in Boston's symphony hall. Yet, this recording's surround channels add a sense of depth and ambiance likely not found on the original LPs and CD releases. I'm greatly pleased with Davis' approach to the piece. Not quite as subdued as some of his other Berlioz recordings, this one contains the drama and sense of occasion the piece demands. The chorus is well disciplined yet exuberant and one always marvels at the ability of the tenors to sing the cruel tessitura of the piece. The solo tenor is quite attractive, though I have always been most pleased with Leopold Simoneau's performance on the Munch Boston recording. I agree with the other reviewer that Spano is too prosaice and his recording venue in Atlanta sounds downright constipated even with Telarc's SACD technology. Shaw was even more prosaic and stuck with the same dry acoustic. In my opinion, the three finest recordings of this piece remain the Bernstein recorded in the sight of its premiere, the Munch Boston recording on SACD and utlimately this Philips SACD.



I prefer Munch due to the contribution of the tenor, but he only has one solo in he piece so most would likely prefer this recording for its somewhat clearer sonics."