Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Christoph Spering, New Berlin Chamber Orchestra :: Mozart: Requiem (The Süssmayr Version and the Original Unfinished Version)

A Very Good Recording

R. Gerard | Pennsylvania USA | 08/05/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Das Neue Orchester plays exceptionally clear as usual. The choir never sings too heavy as in other Historically Informed recordings, nor do they sing unnecessarily superfluous. The soloists are also very good.While for these reasons this record is worth 5 stars, I'll have to give it 4 stars for Christoph Spering's judgement of tempo of the faster movements, which he attempts to explain in the liner notes. Most listeners will find the slower Introitus just fine, however the the Kyrie fugue is taken much too slow despite Mozart's marking the tempo at Allegro Assai. Quite a contrast from the Dies Irae, which is startlingly played at lightning speed (definitely the fastest Dies Irae I've ever heard). It's true that here Mr. Spering drives his orchestra and choir a little too hard. The Rex Tremendae is likewise fast. The Confutatis is played in the moderate tempo we're used to hearing. The Sanctus (not Mozart's work) which is usually played slowly is played irritatingly fast. The Cum Sanctis (being a direct parody of the Kyrie) is taken at the usual pace of Allegro Assai. Why would Spering play the Kyrie so slow and the Cum Sanctis relatively quickly?The slower numbers (Tuba Mirum, Recordare, Lacrimosa, Hostias, Benedictus and Agnus Dei) are actually played in just perfect tempo, not to mention these are the some of the finest interpretations of those particular numbers I've heard. His interpretation of these numbers is actually moving.This disc is well worth the buy for the inclusion of Mozart's autograph fragments of the Requiem. As we all know, the requiem was incomplete after Mozart death and completed by his student Franz Xavier Suessmayr and two other students, Freystadler and Eybler. In the light of popluar, newer completions of the requiem by Maunder and Levin, who often attack Sussmayr for his handling of the requiem, you'll see in this recording that the autograph fragments do not sound all to different from Sussmayr's completion, and that Mozart left the basic parts of the requiem which could easily stand by themselves. Mozart only wrote out the 4-voice choir and the basso continuo. Other instruments are inducated in the fragments but their actual intonations are sparse. The product will remind the listener of a Bach motet, minimal in scoring (often 4 unnacompanied voices over a basso continuo) yet still technically complex and complete in sound. It's also interesting to hear the Lacrimosa break of after the eighth bar as in the original fragments (you all know the ledgend of Mozart's last night, and how he supposedly passed on at the 8th bar of the Lacrimosa as his students practiced the piece with him at his bedside).The fast movements of this disc are not Christoph Spering's forte, but the slow movements are mesmerizing and well worth 4 stars. The inclusion of the Autograph Fragments also make this disc reccomendable."

The one true performance of the Requiem

Christopher Culver | 10/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I already had a couple of performances of Mozart's REQUIEM, but something about the packaging made me pick this up. I was not disappointed, for the performance of Christoph Spering with his ensembles Das Neue Orchestra and Chorus Musicus Koeln is one of the very best renditions of the piece. Furthermore, as a welcome bonus this disc also treats us to one of the few recordings of Mozart's autograph fragments free of Sussmayer's addition.



What is immediately noticeable is that Spering takes the opening "Requiem aeternam" and "Kyrie" very slowly indeed. In the notes he explains that his attentive reading of the score has led him to believe that these two should be half as fast as the final "Lux aeterna". This is a controversial decision, but I believe that Spering has made the right choice. After hearing Spering's masterful command, other performances seem deliriously too fast and any sense of sanctity is lost. This is a performance you will forever see as the "right one" over others.



A fine addition to the Requiem itself is the recording of Mozart's original autograph fragments. They show that Sussmayer's additions were entirely reasonable and in keeping with Mozart's intentions, and vindicate him from oft villifying.



The musicians of Das Neue Orchester play superbly on period instruments, and the Chorus Musicus Koeln give a flawless performance. The fine musicianship is highlighted by excellent recording, especially in the heavily choral movements like the "Kyrie" where it really explores the space. This performance of the REQUIEM is one of the finest discs in my collection, and I would highly recommend it to all who enjoy Mozart's final work."

Amazing contrast

Gerardo Linero | Las Rozas, Madrid Spain | 07/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had never heard the 9 autograph fragments of the Requiem before. They are amazing, crystal clear, even joyful. This recording is worth having, both versions (Sussmayr's and Mozart's autograph) are superb."