Search - Verdi, Bruckner, Jachum :: Requiem Mass / Te Deum

Splendid and spiritually profound performances.

RENS | Dover, NH USA | 01/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a great admirer of the art of Eugen Jochum yet I did not expect to be overwhelmed by this performance when I purchased it out of curiosity. I have been listening to recordings of this glorious work for over fifty years, and I believe that Jochum's is one of the finest performances of the Verdi Requiem we have on record. The mono sound of the live performance in the Great Hall of the University of Munich of December 1, 1950, is extraordinarily rich and clear. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra had only recently been constituted yet here they play as if they had been working together for decades. The same can be said for the chorus. Some may be aware of the fine voices and musicianship of Elisabeth Hoengen and Joseph Greindl but may never have heard of Maud Cunitz or Walter Ludwig. The outstanding singing in this performance gives witness to Jochum's wise choice of soloists according to their actual ability and not just their reputation. I recommend this magnificent performance as equal to Ferenc Fricsay's famed recording of the same in Berlin and available in the DG Originals Series. I find it quietly ironic that two of the greatest recorded performances of Verdi's very Italian and operatic Messa da Requiem are of German origin: conductor, soloists, orchestra and chorus.



And now for the Bruckner Te Deum. Jochum's stereo version in the DG Originals Series is hailed by many to be the best ever recorded. I don't dispute this. However, this performance of May 14, 1954, in the German Museum in Munich matches it in nearly every way but for the lack of stereo sound. Nevertheless, the mono sound is, as in the earlier Verdi recording, very clear and rich and altogether satisfying. The same orchestral and choral forces are at work here as in the Requiem but with a different set of soloists. Annelies Kupper, Ruth Siewert, Lorenz Fehenberger and Kim Borg sing with passion and precision.



All in all, this two disc set from Orfeo is a trumph and ought to be much better known by a larger group of record collectors and lovers of the music of Verdi. It is worth every penny."