OT -- Mozart Requiem

[merlin]

I am looking for an excellent recording of this, both in terms of performance and SQ.  Also, wanting the version completed by Sussmayr et. al.

Bernstein on DG is a stellar performance, for me, but the digital glare and muddiness are intolerable.

Also, not interested in a period instrument version.

[Ben]

Have you listened to others besides the Bernstein so we don't recommend something you've already listened to?

Few options for the Sussmayr and non-period:

Solti/Vienna PO (200th anniversary concert of Mozart's death)
Böhm/Vienna PO
Giulini/Philharmonia (sound quality might not be the level you want..)

[Damfino]

merlin, I find Lenny's performance rather draggy. Like you, I tend to eschew period performances; but I like the work to have more drive to it and tend to stay away from overly slow performances. I love Lenny's Mozart symphonies; just not the Mozart Requiem.

Another slowish one you might look at is Barenboim/Orchestre de Paris. It has great soloists, but I found it to be draggy as well. I don't have it anymore, so I cannot comment on whether it has a "digital glare".

Others that I like are Colin Davis/LSO in the SACD version and Marriner's digital version with ASMIF. I have not heard the Marriner for quite awhile. It, too may need a remastering as it is from that harsh early digital era. I also have the Solti that Ben references and quite like it as well.

[merlin]

Thanks for the responses -- much appreciated!  Damfino, I fully agree that Lenny is too draggy.  I kept wanting things to speed up a bit, but did like the fullness of the sound.

Other versions I have heard include Guttenberg (HIP inspired but modern instruments, albeit a bit too short in number of performers and therefore somewhat lacking in fullness of sound) and Mackerras (I dumped this one very fast).  The SQ on both of these is wonderful, however, probably because they are on SACD.

I will look for the Davis/LSO SACD, if it is still in print, and Solti/VPO.

[merlin]

Just finished listening to Peter Schreier's version.  SQ is good enough, and pace is better than Bernstein, but I kept wanting more excitement.  It was there in a few places, but not enough, overall.

Will definitely listen to the Davis/LSO SACD.  But maybe I am expecting too much...

[merlin]

Just finished listening to Davis/LSO SACD.  The full chorus and orchestra were wonderful, as is the overall SQ and pace. But the solo and quartet singing left much to be desired.

Perhaps splicing together parts from different versions might live up to my hopes for this music.  For me, overall, Bernstein is best, despite feeling draggy here and there, but as I said, the digital glare of the recording is intolerable.

Solti's performance includes verbal reciting of the mass, and therefore is not for me.  Any other suggestions? 

Maybe Barenboim, which has been reissued by ArchivMusic.  Can anyone comment on the SQ of this version?

FWIW, I very much like his Beethoven symphonies.

[waderice]

Merlin, Ben suggested the Böhm/Vienna recording, as do I.  Give it a try.  Böhm was recognized as a Mozart specialist, and recorded much of Mozart's repertoire, including the operas as well as all of the symphonies.  All of what he did, recordings-wise, was very articulate and clean.

Wade

[Damfino]

Just finished listening to Davis/LSO SACD.  The full chorus and orchestra were wonderful, as is the overall SQ and pace. But the solo and quartet singing left much to be desired.

Perhaps splicing together parts from different versions might live up to my hopes for this music.  For me, overall, Bernstein is best, despite feeling draggy here and there, but as I said, the digital glare of the recording is intolerable.

Solti's performance includes verbal reciting of the mass, and therefore is not for me.  Any other suggestions? 

Maybe Barenboim, which has been reissued by ArchivMusic.  Can anyone comment on the SQ of this version?

FWIW, I very much like his Beethoven symphonies.

Yes, the singers on the Davis LSO live version were basically unknowns (to me, anyway), but I had no issues with them. And the piece sounds great in multi-channel SACD! I think it is the only multichannel SACD of the Sussmeyer completed version. I listened to one of those versions that was completed by someone else and did not care for it at all.

One reason I like Marriner's version is that I enjoy all the soloists, particularly Sylvia McNair in the soprano part. I like the light sound of her voice as she floats in during the opening Requiem movement and in the Tuba Mirum.

When I listen to the Solti version, I program my player to skip the spoke mass tracks (the mass is separated by tracks). An even simpler fix would be to rip the CD to your computer, and leave off the tracks with the mass and burn a new disc with music only. That recording was one of the last things soprano Arleen Auger did before her untimely death from cancer. Auger is also the soprano soloist in the Shaw/Atlanta version which is pretty good, but rather bland IMO.

I don't have Bohm's version, but I do like him in the Mozart symphonies I've heard. I used to have the Barenboim, but found it to be too slow. Can't remember the quality of the sound, though.

[merlin]

Thanks again to everyone for the feedback and suggestions -- much appreciated!

Reviews of Bohm/VPO at Amazon pan his glacial pace and ponderousness.  Ripping Solti and then burning it sans liturgy tracks sounds like a plan, however.

As for Davis/LSO, it is not so much the quality of the soloists and quartet singing but that they seem to be lost in mud, compared with the brilliance of the orchestra and full choir.

Addendum:  Listened again today to Guttenberg and Schreier.  The former has amazing SQ and is dramatic and engaging, although I wish his forces were larger.  Schreier had his moments, but the last parts, and especially the ending, were completely lacking in drama and bite -- a huge letdown.

Will listen again to Davis/LSO as well as Bernstein over the next few days.

[merlin]

In case anyone is still interested, I have completed this round of listening to various versions.  Second and third auditions were very revealing.

Bernstein is definitely too ponderous and draggy in many places, even if I can tolerate the digital glare.  From the many reviews, Bohm and Barenboim would not be far removed.

Schreier's lack of drama and excitement near the end -- it almost seems that he runs out of energy -- makes it far from satisfying, even if earlier parts are wonderful.

Davis/LSO is excellent for a full complement of participants, even though at times it suffers from muddiness, orchestra overwhelming singers, and the soloists placed too far back.  SQ is quite good.

For smaller forces and modern instruments, Guttenberg is a clear winner, both in terms of pace and SQ, and there is plenty of drama and passion.

[Damfino]

I agree that the vocals are in the background a tad on the Davis LSO version. That's a problem that sometimes afflicts recordings of Mahler that include choruses and even some Beethoven 9ths. You'd think such balance problems would be easy to spot and overcome.

[Damfino]

I found another big-band old-style recording of the Mozart Requiem that I highly recommend. It is conducted by my favorite Dvorak conductor - Istvan Kertesz. Decca has been quietly re-issuing many of the Kertesz recordings that have been out of print for years on CD, or only available on old LPs.

This recording features the VPO and the Vienna State opera Chorus. I'm not familiar with the male solosits (Ugo Benelli, Tenor and Tugomir Franc, Bass), but they acquit themselves well. The women are Marilyn Horne and Elly Ameling. As much as I like Sylvia McNair in the Marriner recording, I think I like Ameling even more.

This recording definitely does not keep the chorus recessed at all. They are quite audible, and you can especially hear the men and the altos. The women sounded a tad old or middle-aged, but this may be due to the sound not being as soprano-dominated as it often is. Tempos are certainly slower than one would expect in HIP recordings, but often Kertesz timings on some pieces were quite close to Marriner's. The only spots I found a little overly slow were Rex tremendae and Confutatis. However, what they lack in speed they make up for in weight and majesty. Even though I'd prefer more drive in Confutatis, the piece is actually rather scary in this recording, probably due to the clear delineation of all the voices.

I think this would be a great choice for an old-school large-sounding reading of this work. Decca has released this on their Eloquence label with Mozart's Masonic music. The version I picked up was an old "London Weekend Classics" version (the series that had ugly cartoon covers) that only had the Requiem; so I cannot comment on the masonic music.

Speaking of Kertesz, some of the significant release from Decca/Eloquence include a Dvorak 2-fer that contains concert pieces that were often used as filler on the original LP issues. These include the following overtures: Carnival, Othello, In Nature's Realm, My Home, The Hussites; all of the Czech fairy-tale Concert overtures with the exception of The Wood Dove (which Kertesz didn't get to before his untimely death); Scherzo Capriccioso, and Symphonic Variations.

They've also released Kertesz' Brahms cycle which has always been highly rated along many other Kertesz recordings. Best get them now before they disappear again!

[merlin]

Thanks for the recommendation.  At the moment, I am quite content with the sacd of Karl Richter, and am awaiting arrival of Herreweghe from MDT.  Although HIP, it would seem he uses larger forces and less so-called period style playing.  It also garnered outstanding reviews at amazon.