The Karl Bohm(this) the Leonard Bernstein and Georg Solti DVDs of Mozart's Requiem are all must sees. Solti's is an important performance-commemorating the 200th anniversary of Mozart's death- and was very moving, and Bernstein's is the most personal of the three. What puts Bohm's over the other two nonetheless is not just the dream cast but that it goes the extra mile in living and channelling the emotions of one of the most beautiful, extraordinary choral works(and pieces in general) ever. Of the three DVDs it is the best filmed, being expressive and unobtrusive(the montages were quite nice too) and has the best acoustics too, resonant and not too reverberant and they serve the orchestra and singers well. The church is just lovely too, though the one used in Bernstein's DVD is even more so.
Musically the performance is spot on. The orchestra sound incredible, a more romantic, weighty sound than other performances heard of the Requiem- the more urgent and emotional parts though benefit from this- but it's beautiful playing and the emotion pours out. The chorus throughout sound with a strong sturdy sound, Kyrie has a lot of urgency and the Lacrimosa is very deeply felt, the runs are smoother on the other two DVDs but the chorus here hardly bark either. Bohm's conducting is always musically solid and vigorous with great musicianship and a great command over the orchestra. The tempos are fine, slow at times but not inappropriately so, Lacrimosa works at a slow tempo and should have it.
The soloists are a dream cast and all live up to high expectations.
If there is a slight weak link it's Peter Schreier, he sings with feeling, good phrasing and secure musicianship though with a sound that is not as free as Jerry Hadley(Bernstein) and Vinson Cole(Solti), at times it is nice and lyrical, others it gets a tad nasal. Walter Berry is superb though, of the three basses(he, Cornelius Hauptmann and Rene Pape, both splendid) he stood out the most, Tuba Mirum thunders out and the long phrase beautifully sustained while he is also sympathetic when blending with the other three. His voice is sonorous and warm and his experience in Mozart really comes across, Pape for Solti has more the Sarastro-like quality that comes to mind when hearing the music for the bass but that's not a problem at all.
Gundula Janowitz sings with a breathtaking silvery purity, noble deportment and a controlled legato, Marie McLaughlin for Bernstein is the same. Arleen Auger(Solti) was the most affecting of the three, partly because it was one of her last performances before her ultimely death, but Janowitz still has enough to not leave one cold. Christa Ludwig also sings wonderfully, her beautifully produced mezzo soprano voice is beautiful and sincere- like Maria Ewing(Bernstein) but with more of an opulent tone- with every bit the vibrant urgency that Cecilia Bartoli for Solti brought. How she holds herself while performing also reflects those qualities.
All four soloists sing at least with command of the music and communicate it to great effect, no signs of phoning in(and there is not one ounce of that coming through on either of the three performances).
Overall, fantastic and close to perfect. While the DVD competition is very close, this takes the crown as the best performance of Mozart's Requiem. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Musically the performance is spot on. The orchestra sound incredible, a more romantic, weighty sound than other performances heard of the Requiem- the more urgent and emotional parts though benefit from this- but it's beautiful playing and the emotion pours out. The chorus throughout sound with a strong sturdy sound, Kyrie has a lot of urgency and the Lacrimosa is very deeply felt, the runs are smoother on the other two DVDs but the chorus here hardly bark either. Bohm's conducting is always musically solid and vigorous with great musicianship and a great command over the orchestra. The tempos are fine, slow at times but not inappropriately so, Lacrimosa works at a slow tempo and should have it.
The soloists are a dream cast and all live up to high expectations.
If there is a slight weak link it's Peter Schreier, he sings with feeling, good phrasing and secure musicianship though with a sound that is not as free as Jerry Hadley(Bernstein) and Vinson Cole(Solti), at times it is nice and lyrical, others it gets a tad nasal. Walter Berry is superb though, of the three basses(he, Cornelius Hauptmann and Rene Pape, both splendid) he stood out the most, Tuba Mirum thunders out and the long phrase beautifully sustained while he is also sympathetic when blending with the other three. His voice is sonorous and warm and his experience in Mozart really comes across, Pape for Solti has more the Sarastro-like quality that comes to mind when hearing the music for the bass but that's not a problem at all.
Gundula Janowitz sings with a breathtaking silvery purity, noble deportment and a controlled legato, Marie McLaughlin for Bernstein is the same. Arleen Auger(Solti) was the most affecting of the three, partly because it was one of her last performances before her ultimely death, but Janowitz still has enough to not leave one cold. Christa Ludwig also sings wonderfully, her beautifully produced mezzo soprano voice is beautiful and sincere- like Maria Ewing(Bernstein) but with more of an opulent tone- with every bit the vibrant urgency that Cecilia Bartoli for Solti brought. How she holds herself while performing also reflects those qualities.
All four soloists sing at least with command of the music and communicate it to great effect, no signs of phoning in(and there is not one ounce of that coming through on either of the three performances).
Overall, fantastic and close to perfect. While the DVD competition is very close, this takes the crown as the best performance of Mozart's Requiem. 10/10 Bethany Cox
