Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Boston Baroque, Ruth Ziesak :: Mozart - Requiem / Ziesak, Maultsby, R. Croft, D. Arnold, Boston Baroque, Pearlman

Don't Hear How It Can Get Any Better Than This

Jeff Farrow | 04/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Many, many aeons ago I participated in the chorus of a University production of Mozart's REQUIEM. One of my friends (who was in the audience) said to me after the performance, "I've never seen you look so happy."



I was...and who wouldn't be?



Participating in a classical chorus always creates an immediate sense of community--even if limited to the run of the show. Participating in a Mozart work--and particularly his REQUIEM--rates as a very special experience.



Not surprisingly I purchased several REQUIUEM recordings over the years since that joyful experience, no doubt in an understandable attempt to keep the happy memory alive.



All of the recordings have been good, but this New Completion by Robert Levine has got to be as good as it can possibly get--short of going back in time to hear an original performance--and by that I mean, a performance conducted by the great composer himself.



This is also an excellent Mozart "primer" work for the "uninitiated". It is a rousing, dynamic, exuberant, divinely inspired human creation--and showcases the musical genius at his most accessible best--all on a single CD at a realy great price.



Mozart: Die Zauberflote

"

A winning completion

Yi-Peng | Singapore | 10/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Most of us who know the Mozart Requiem know it from the famous Sussmayr completion even with its faults. Through the years many scholars have sought to offer alternative completions, but many people consider them unsatisfactory. Now comes a completion by scholar Robert Levin, written such that it only corrects the faults of the Sussmayr completion and does not replace it completely. I must admit I had my doubts, but after listening to it, the results are superb and I hope that one day more people will consider performing the work in this version. I'm not a qualified musicologist, but I know this completion has merits such that the Amen and Hosanna fugues fit better into the score, and are better than the rough edges of Sussmayr's original at these points.



This superbly-engineered Telarc recording features a performance from Martin Pearlman's Boston Baroque. Although I'm not terribly familiar with this ensemble, this group turns in a fantastic and heartfelt performance, aided by a top-notch quartet of soloists. The soloists blend well together and as a group, and Ruth Ziesak is telling in her opening entry and in the Recordare. The only qualm I have about the soloists is that David Arnold is perhaps not imposing enough in the Tuba mirum, but he eases himself into the work and eventually sounds superb. Pearlman's tempi are brisk and never sound rushed, and his chorus sings with feeling, fervour and conviction. Other reviewers have mentioned the chilling, demonic effect that he achieves in the Dies irae, but I could also mention that it sounds imploring too in the Rex tremendae and the Domine Jesu.



All told, for the criticisms levelled at this recording and this edition, I think I like this version of the Mozart Requiem much more than the standard Sussmayr version. I know that the original Mozart Requiem has had venerable recordings in the past, from the likes of Karajan, Bohm, Robert Shaw, Gardiner and Thielemann, to name but five, but this superb version is probably my new favourite. The unusual thing about this completion is that it too gets to the heart of the work without the editor putting his stamp on the work. Now if only Martin Pearlman and the Boston Baroque will get round to recording the Levin completion of the Mozart Great Mass in C Minor, and hopefully record the Kyrie K341 as a fill-up to this disc."

Controversy Invited

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 10/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Boston Baroque Orchestra, Chorus, and Soloists perform very boldly and cleanly on this recording, but there is acrimonious controversy over the use of a 'modern' composer's completion of the Requiem, rather than that of Sussmeyer or others between. I was recently asked by an 'amazon friend' for my favorite performance of the Requiem, but I found I couldn't offer an instant reply. If there are really people out there who look at my reviews of music, I'd be interested in some comparisons and perceptions.



Note please that the price of this performance is very modest, especially from ammy's alternate sellers. Here's my idea: everyone get this CD (which is surely of enough merit to justify the few dollars), listen to it alongside your current recording(s) of the Requiem, and come back to this page with your thoughts. I'm hoping someone will compare it to the performances of Harnoncourt, Herreweghe, Gardiner, and/or Hogwood."