What a wonderful way to memorialize your friend and colleague. On a personal note this was a work that I first heard via the Marriner recording, and many years later was able to sing with our local community choir, still a memorable concert. Thank you, Dave.
Dave, I'm so sorry to hear about the passing of your friend and colleague, David Vernier. When I was a kid just getting into classical music and building (slowly) a collection in the early part of the CD era, I had a subscription to _CD Review_ magazine and your and David Vernier's reviews were always the ones I read first. The world of classical music has lost someone very special. He will be missed.
Rest in peace Mr Vernier! A great tribute to an outstanding critic and reviewer! You have no idea how fast I clicked on this video when I saw the title! I was waiting for a Mozart Requiem review for a long time. This is a piece, that I hold dear to my heart. It was the first work, that got me into music more seriously, and the piece, that made me realise how different the same work can sound in different performances. The waiting was worth it and your review did not disappoint! Generally I have to agree with what you said, but there are some differences. About the editions - I never really cared terribly much, as long as it's either the Süßmayr or the Beyer. I actually always preferred the first one, but the Beyer never really bothered me too much. I was quite surprised about your Bruno Walter pick - when I heard it, I thought it's just not very good - lacking in discipline, passion, beauty, power and I felt like pretty much everything went wrong in that recording - a "great artist, bad day" if you will. Now I will give it another try I guess, maybe it's better then I initially thought. When it comes to the Mackerras recording - I was actually impressed by it when I first heard it. Kinda agree about the singing, but the conducting and orchestral playing are so sharp and disciplined, that, despite the smaller, more chamber like sonorities, the overall performance felt very exciting and convincing. The Bernstein is an interesting choice. I love the interpretation, but the recording would have benefited a lot from studio conditions and the performance itself lacks discipline and sharpness. So definitely not a first choice, but one worth checking out. I also wanted to mention some recordings that are I think excellent: Barenboim on EMI - I was surprised that it didn't make it into the video - not a performance full of personality or character, but just a very good, solid, decent version. Another interesting live performance, that I quite liked was Szell - pretty much everything I said about Bernstein is true about it as well. The conception is very different from Bernstein though, and I think it's worth checking out for fans of the work. I was also quite impressed with the naturalness and flow that Solti, another live version, brought to the music - a fast, exciting, powerful performance, not the most interesting interpretation, but that's Solti for you. Giulini on Sony was someone I was looking forward to hearing, but I thought the performance was just a bit too heavy and dull. Not bad, and quite beautiful, but just heavy. The climaxes never erupt with the nessesery punch and I thought he underplays some of the music. Overall not bad though. Karajan! Ok, I know this will be controversial, and I know your view on his thousands of recordings (he really recorded it too many times), but hear me out - if you are looking for pure beauty and lyrical passion there is no better choice then him. Yes, he underplays the musics punchier, more exciting bits, yes his sonorities are one of a kind and everything gets buried under the strings (which I kinda like actually), but it's all part if his conception. And I'm not praising it just because it was my first recording - there is no denying that he manages to realise his vision extremely well, no matter how one personally feels about it or how "idiomatic" it is. I have to check which one out of his hundreds of performances was the really impressive one though, I have unfortunately forgotten, he did it so many times, that I am buried in Karajan Mozart Requiems. Ok, down to my top three, the essential versions, everybody should hear: 1.Marriner 1977 - Mr Vernier's choice is indeed a very special performance and I completely agree with him. It's just a perfect one - Marriner nails all of the music's drama, excitement, lyrical passion and beauty. The recording is completely transparent, you hear everything, the orchestra plays with tremendous weight, the singing is powerful, and so on. I was particularly impressed with the Dies Irae, the Agnus Dei and the Confutatis. Overall, it's just the perfect realisation of the Beyer edition. I have to say, when I heard his remake, I tought that, although it was decent of course, it's a bit bland and frankly faceless. Thanks to your recommendation though I will give it a second chance 2.A performance, that I was very surprised you didn't mention - Riccardo Muti with Berlin. Everything that I said about Marriner 1977 holds true about Muti as well - the perfect playing and singing, the weight and power, the beauty and passion, just the greatest realisation of the original Süßmayr edition. I think this version has just the perfect Tuba Mirum, even more impressive then Marriner. And as I said, I actually prefer this edition, over the Beyer, but that's just my personal preference. 3.Yeah, it has to be Harnoncourt's remake. His first one wasn't as impressive, but the live one is just tremendous! Simply the most beautiful and transcendental recording ever. And he doesn't underplay the climaxes either - they have plenty of punch, sharpness and excitement. Truly "The" period performance to have! TLDR: My top 3: 1. Marriner 1977 - best Beyer edition 2. Muti - best Süßmeyr edition 3. Harnoncourt 2004 - best period performance Sorry for the overly long comment, but I feel very strongly about the piece, and was waiting for the video for a looong time. I hope you enjoyed reading it!
Dear Dave, I’m very sorry for your loss. Curiously I have asked for this talk last week and August 1st is also the anniversary of my beloved Mother’s passing… Thank you for this talk. As I said, our chorus was preparing it and we just performed it last Sunday. As I was studying it I came across Muti’s recording with Berlin for Warner and I particularly liked the chorus. It is particularly well captured and you can hear all the voices and follow it with the score. This talk was a great homage to your friend! Take care.🤗
So sad to hear of the passing of your dear friend. Like you, I appreciate the Mozart Requiem more than I really like it.....and I'm a professional trombonist who has performed it multiple times. The trombone solo is coveted by many in my profession, but I have always found it awkward.
Mozart's Requiem is a favourite piece of mine, which I play often. I will think of you and your friend David from now on whenever I play it or hear it. Very sorry for you loss.
I am so sorry to hear about your loss, but thank you for the opportunity to discover some more recordings of the Requiem. I have only one recording of it, I don't know which edition it is, but it is definitely a staple in my CDs: Michel Corboz, directing the Choeur Symphonique et Orchestre de la Fondation Gulbenkian de Lisbonne, with Elly Ameling, Barbara Scherler, Louis Devos and Roger Soyer, on ERATO from 1976. Having played under Michel Corboz with our local Youth Orchestra in Switzerland when I was still a teenager, I could hardly ignore the great director's work. And he was from a village in our region, after all ☺
Thank you to you and your late friend for hipping me to the Bernius. I had not heard it before and it's very much to my liking. Someone has posted it to TH-cam.
This is possibly my favorite video you have done so far. Such a touching tribute. I don't know this piece very well, so I'll listen to a few of your recommendations. I also think this is possibly one of your best repertoire videos in terms of pacing, economy, and "bang for buck"- a thorough but non-exhaustive survey of the creme of the crop. Thank you, and thank you, David Vernier
Thank you for letting us know about Mr. Vernier and his legacy. I never paid attention to choral works but in the last two years I have started listening to them due to his reviews at Classics Today. I am sorry for your loss.
I cant believe David Vernier passed away. His reviews are so good and so insightful, I always look foward to his reviews on Early Music. Dave, thanks the video, God bless you.
Mozart's Requiem was a work that influenced me a lot in my youth. I was in the Copenhagen Boys Choir, and we sung it in the Danish Radio Concert Hall. I loved the work so much that I - according to my mother - knew the Latin text by heart! The recording she bought for me was the Peter Schreier-version with the four AMAZING soloists. Such a fine and warm version, and beautifully recorded, as you point out. The other version which I listened to was ... the Marriner version, because it is the one used in the soundtrack of the Amadeus movie which I loved and watched many, many times. (Who cares about historical truth? At least, I didn't as a teenager, and it is a great movie with sublime acting and superb atmosphere). So thank you, Dave, for highlighting these exact two versions that have followed me even since being mesmerized by them as a choir boy.
I'm going to tell my old high school English teacher about your 'however' choice. He'll be delighted, because he sang in its chorus back in 1977. And he's still singing. A lovely tribute to your colleague, Dave.
Thank you for such a touching video. May he rest in peace. You suggested we mention some Mozart Requiems that are worth discussing but not covered in your video. I'd like to mention John Butt and the Dunedin Consort. Just a suggestion. But, more importantly, thank you for sharing with us about David Vernier - many of us are very grateful to him for his excellent reviews.
Condolences on your, indeed, our loss. Thanks for highlighting and featuring his writing in the new Classics Today newsletter. Ave atque vale. One historical version that was a surprising fail was the Beecham Columbia recording he did for the 1956 Mozart bicentennial. For some reason, maybe that Beecham was not a requiem kind of guy, it just never "comes off the page."
I am very sorry for your, and ClassicsToday's, loss. I'll miss reading David Vernier's reviews. Thank you for the beautiful tribute you've published to him over at ClassicsToday. Thanks also for this video. The Schreier/Dresden recording has long been my "reference" for the Mozart Requiem, but I'll have to listen to the Marriner on Decca (having found the Philips remake very good, but lacking something in oomph or spirit). I'll also be interested to hear -- and hear about -- the reissue of Giulini.
I loved listening Requiem with my grandmother as a child. It is one of those listens that I abandoned growing up, probably because I tie it to moments that will not return and in recent days to the fact that she is gone. Mozart's Requiem, in its incompleteness and in its being a kind of Frankenstein, while not among Mozart's finest works has always conveyed to me a holy awe in facing it again. Maybe I will try... Your video moved me, thank you for all you do for us classical lovers. Tom
Thank you so much for these videos because I would need to listen to millions of albums to find the best ones. This is a tremendous help to discover the gorgeous ones and skip the mediocre ones. For example, you were spot on with the best Damnation de Faust from Berlioz with the French cast! I would never have found that album, the ones by Simon Rattle and Collin Davis being the best-known recordings.
First of all: I'm sure David is singing up there, right alongside the best. Thanks for sharing this tribute with us all, intermingling public and private with great taste and affection. Secondly: I really like your selection here! And I'm known to really, really like Mozart's Requiem. I cannot NOT mention Currentzis here (I know, I know...): his Requiem is electric, lean, nervous and very well singed and conducted - alas, maybe not weighty enough and sometimes a bit frantic and obiously very personal and controlled. Still a great Requiem in my book.
A timely and touching review . Thank you so much for sharing this with us , we appreciate it. We will all have our favourite versions of Mozart's Requiem. Among mine I keep a place for the Naive recording with Accentus Choeur de Chambre , Insula Orchestre , a fine team of soloists led by Sandrine Piau , Soprano and conducted by Laurence Equilbey. It was recorded at Versailles . I find it direct, sober but not austere and ultimately very moving
First of all: I have been reading David Vernier’s reviews for decades and this is a tremendous loss. I am so sorry. Secondly: while I know Mozart’s Requiem extremely well - having conducted it, participated in several performances of it in which I played cello, double bass and sang in the chorus (not all in the same performance), written program notes about it and produced radio programs about it, and one of my most cherished memories was when I had a conversation with Colin Davis about it - I agree with you that it’s not one of Mozart’s masterpieces. The Mass in C minor is far superior, and I’m convinced that had he lived Mozart would have left the Requiem in an even more incomplete state than he left the Mass. But its appeal runs deeper than its actual quality and it seems we’re both susceptible to its emotional pull. (And there’s something deeply moving about Mozart when he’s being less than perfect.) Third: a couple of notable ways of performing the work that you didn’t mention. Richard Maunder did the edition Hogwood used for his recording which was significant for its time; he’s the one who created the Amen fugue out of a sketch Sussmayr ignored. Perhaps it’s an overreach but I find it more convincing than Levin’s version. Then there’s the opposite tack, which is to perform the work exactly as Mozart left it as an unfinished torso. Why add arms to the Venus di Milo? It’s moving to hear the work with very sparse orchestration and for the Lacrymosa to cut off after eight bars. That’s the version I used when I conducted it. There have been a couple of recordings of the “fragment” version including one conducted by Christoph Spering; there still isn’t one on the level of the recordings you mentioned but there should be. It’s worth checking out. As to your list: I remember in the 80s when the conventional wisdom was that Bernstein was terrible at Mozart, but he got the last laugh. His Mozart recordings have held up very well, and that Requiem is indeed a great recording. And I’m glad you started with Bruno Walter. Pretty much everything should start with Bruno Walter. I grew up with the Karl Richter recording, which may have scarred me for life, though it still is surprisingly powerful. Lastly- I just discovered that you’re exactly one day older than I am. Our lives have been very different; you went to college while I spent my 20s and 30s freelancing and working in record stores before becoming a classical radio host, which is what I’m still doing. It’s been a journey. Here’s to our 63rd.
My condolences for your colleague and friend David Vernier, whom I also collected invaluable advice on your website. I have listened to the Bernius version after your video, which I find very good. If you allow, I just suggest also Davis with the BBC (Philips) and Szell (live), but this is from someone not vastly in the know.
Dear David, this is a beautiful video. Sorry for your loss, and this is a great dedication. I have the Peter Schreier on LP, and on CD the Merriner (Philips), one by Peter Neumann, in a box with all Mozart's Masses...and the one by Norrington ( EMI), which was completed by Druce; the Lacrimosa includes a fuga, that I found a bit odd. I would like to listen to the one by Harnoncourt. My regards, GV
Sorry for your loss Professor Hurwitz. Yes, I was shocked at the Mackerras review. As you have pointed out, he was a remarkably consistent and eclectic musician.
Thank you for this lovely video as a tribute, Dave (I have read some reviews by Mr. Vernier and always found them enlightening). I share your opinion, the Requiem is not my Mozart's favourite. However, I have a sentimental attraction for this work since playing the timpani part was my first paid gig when I was a teenager. I also think Marriner's rendition in the soundtrack of Amadeus does not come from his Decca recording but was recorded especially for the needs of the film. The end of the Lacrimosa, when Mozart's corpse is thrown into a common grave, deeply impressed me since Marriner asked both the choir and his timpanist, Tristan Fry, to sing and play very loud. The end of the overwhelming roll, when one sees the priest's tears who sits near the old Saliery, adds a lot of drama and pathos to this miserable funerals (although we know it was not unusual in those days, even for wealthier people, since it fitted both some masonic and hygienic rules).
I'm so sorry to learn of David's death. I wrote some reviews for him about forty years ago when he was working on the Wayne Green mag Digital Audio, and he had a light editing touch (or it could be that I wrote the way he liked). I'm sorry that I never had a chance to work with him again, and especially sad not to have actually met him.
Thank you for this heartfelt tribute to your colleague Maestro@@DavesClassicalGuide. A question: The Verbier festival released a 2007 highlights CD with Manfred Honeck conducting the Kyrie - Dies Irae - Confutatis movements of what seems to have been a listenworthy performance. Was that ever released in its entity?
I assumed that Marriner recorded the Amadeus music especially for the movie. This assumption was reinforced when I bought a copy of the 1977 disc and the Confutatis was a terrible disappointment because it didn’t sound like there were any trumpets or tympani at all, unlike the movie where both were thrillingly evident.
No, the recording in Amadeus is NOT the 1977 one. I have the soundtrack album and the 1977 recording and they are nothing alike. The music for Amadeus was recorded especially for the movie. At any rate, the Introitus in the movie would not match any recorded performance as only the first seven-and-a-bit bars (out of 48) are played in the movie.
You're right. In the Wikipedia entry for the film Amadeus, it says that all the tracks were performed specifically for the film. And in the ASMF website, it says that the soundtrack was recorded by ASMF in 1984.
If you listen to the eight bars of the "Lacrymosa," (the only part of that piece that he actually composed), and note how the music stops, you get a sense of how life is cut short. It mimics the unfinished life that Mozart actually lived. What a poetic and meaningful representation of how life's music stops suddenly and unexpectedly. Bless the spirit of your dear friend !
Hi David - such an honest and heartfelt tribute to your friend. I imprinted on the Schreier version and it remains a favorite - I especially like Margaret Price. I once went to a performance where the soprano was an aspiring Aida. It was,uhm, weird.
I have the Marriner recording from Phillips. It was one of the first CDs I ever bought back in the early 90s. I still have it, I played it yestereday and it didn't even skip. I've purchased a few other recordings of the Rquiem over the years (Shaw, Giulini, Karjan) but the Marriner recording still stands as my favorite recording of the Requiem.
The (also uncompleted) Mass is arguably a superior work but I love both. My favorite in the Requiem is the Recordare. By the way a couple of sleeper recordings feature boys choirs and even boy soloists. Vienna and Toelzer choirs. New College Oxford that did such a fine Messiah (believe it or not, the boy soloists are outstanding) seems not to have recorded this work. I also like the Colin Davis recording,
Agreed that the Schreier recording is excellent, it’s the recording that introduced me to the full work back when I was in college in the 80s. Will need to go listen to the Harnoncourt and Marriner I, haven’t yet heard either (except if the Marriner was indeed used in Amadeus).
On another note, agreed too that the late Arleen Auger was a fabulous and much-missed singer. I’d like to put in a vote for Best Recording Ever for her Love Songs recital with Dalton Baldwin. First listened to it way back on the merit of a Penguin Rosette, but I think it deserves a Hurzette too.
I am glad that your friend seems to have influenced you in this work, Dave. May mr Vernier rest in piece. My own misgivings were eradicated with Ancerl and the Czech Phil from Montreux in 1966, in beautiful stereo. On Tahra. This piece needs a bit of grit inserted because it is a little bit hickledy pickledy, and Veselka’s way with the choir and the orchestra’s contribution do that.
Lovely tribute. Personally, Bernstein on a desert island, but in the end I'll choose for Harnoncourt. Everting slows down and become less gentle, or lets say easy. Anyhow, it will make me think of his Bach Christmas Oratorio and smile in the knowledge too
Our choir just did the Mozart Requiem with the Symphony. Our conductor liked Abbado. I myself much preferred the first Harnoncourt, among the two Marriner recordings. Then, in curiosity, I sampled everyone else on Presto Music streaming, and found the latest Harnoncourt. I agree with the Hurwitz choice.
Mozart's Requien is indeed a fascinating work, and it's interesting how different interpretations can evoke such varied reactions. While some people find it deeply moving ,others may not connect with it in the same way. This is indeed how you critique a work and not be offended.
I also appreciate very much Philippe Herreweghe interpretation. In addition to what Dave said, it is worth mentioning that it is nicely coupled with the d minor Kyrie K 341, whose mood is similar to the Requiem, and rarely recorded.
My favourite is by Philippe Herreweghe. Why? The urgency that runs through the requiem seems so historically relevant. A reflection of the final months of Mozart's life. The soloists are excellent
Firstly, great video, you are a gem and have so much sincerity. No fluff, just being yourself. Much respect for you. Secondly, do you have a video about how/where you buy your CD's and how you listen to them? Do you find diminishing returns when it comes to optimizing your audio setup?
There’s one specific recording of Mozart’s Requiem that I really like: Laurence Equilbey, directing the Insula Orchestra and Accentus. It is performed on period instruments. The Dies Irae, Confutatis and Domine Jesu Christe are amazing-the fierceness and dramatism are definitely brought out in this recording. The crispier sound of the period horns is also a huge bonus.
Loved this BECAUSE, anciently, when I was a young person, I happened upon an LP of somebody's new version of the Mozart Requiem. I had never heard of the guy, but was vastly curious, so I bought it just out of curiosity. To my surprise, somehow I felt for the first time that I was completely satisfied with the work (which I knew Mozart did not entirely complete by himself). For me, I guiltily loved THIS total "no name" version of Mozart's Requiem. When Robert Levin was suddenly being touted as the perfect genius putting Mozart back together properly and authoritatively -- I'll be honest -- I never enjoyed a single thing that had his name on it. "Ah well," I thought -- this was during the time Lily Tomlin did her great skit on TV as the telephone operator "We don't care. We don't have to." I didn't care -- I didn't have to -- what was proper and correct, somehow this underdog recording of Mozart's Requiem was the only one that spoke to me. THEN ONE DAY, in a fell-swoop hurry, I sold EVERY LP vinyl album in my house to a used record store. Enough was enough and I was tired of needing two U-Hauls to move my record collection whenever we moved. With that went my recording of Mozart's Requiem and I always wondered whose edition that was. I RECOGNIZED IT when you said it here. What a joy, too, hearing that a genuine lover AND expert -- your beloved friend -- of Mozart's Requiem not only, too, preferred the Franz Beyer (YES!!!!! That's what it said on my LP record jacket) edition, but your friend, here, has recommended his favorite recorded version of it. And -- WOW!!! -- like you, I never would have picked up or thought to hear a DGG Leonard Bernstein version of the Mozart Requiem, but how wonderful that he, great conductor that he was, ALSO chose that edition that I instantly fell in love with the day I heard it. Thank you for this great video, and for this tribute to your multi-talented friend and colleague.
I feel fortunate to have come across the Herreweghe version back in the late 1990s when I was first getting into classical music. I think overall it's my favorite version due to the vocal talent involved and the recording quality. However, I own the 1991 Marriner version and the Amadeus soundtrack, and it pleases me that you regard the three versions so highly.
From what I recall Marriner's two recordings also use two different completions, one is classic Sussmayr version and the other is Beyer's version from 1970's, so the instrumentation differs a bit
Dave that’s very sad. Now I know why there were so many reviews by David on CT today. Lately, I’ve mostly listened to Savall’s performance on Astree coupled with the Masonic Funeral Music (a startling short masterpiece if there ever was one). I’m more interested in the drama than the famous soloists in this work, which I am more convinced about than you. I also really like the Harnoncourt you mentioned. It is never nice losing a colleague:-( You take care
What a lovely tribute. I love that Marriner recording (I have it on an Argo LP). When I consider the conductor who has made the greatest number of recordings I have enjoyed, my thoughts turn to Marriner. I agree with you that he made some truly bad records, but his Handel, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and 20th century small orchestra stuff range from really good to great. The playing of ASMF was of the highest calibre. I think his level of accomplishment was comparable to Szell's.
So sorry for your loss. I think there is a significant omission Christopher Hogwood, Kirkby, Watkinson, Rolfe Johnson, Thomas, Westminster Cathedral Choir, AAMC on Decca. And for the Amadeus film, it was the Phillips version of Marriner which I also happen to love. McNair's singing is excellent and I prefer the soloists on the Phillips version.
As you opened this review on a personal note, I might perhaps make a personal observation of my own: that 1st August was my wedding anniversary, and the day of your friend's passing should have been the 15th such anniversary, but tragically my marriage fell apart over the last couple of years, so the date will have as sad a resonance for me as it will for you. I always thought Neville Mariner got the best out of Mozart; his recordings formed the soundtrack for the film adaptation of "Amadeus" and to my childhood self it seemed as though Mozart was speaking through Mariner! However, in adulthood I developed an interest in the bare bones of Mozart's Requiem and was very struck by Richard Maunder's edition of the work, which dispenses with all of the material added or completed by Joseph Eybler and Franz Süssmayr, leaving the work as something of a torso, with the orchestration completed in a manner consistent with Mozart's contemporary works. Maunder's edition was recorded in 1984 for Decca by the Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood, with the Choir of Westminster Cathedral, Emma Kirkby, Carolyn Watkinson, Anthony Rolfe Johnson and David Thomas, and although the upper voices are somewhat overwhelmed in places it's a fine account of the 'original' work; I tend to prefer it nowadays. In this vein, there is also a recording on Opus 111 by Chorus Musicus Köln with Das Neue Orchester under Christoph Spering which takes musicological puritanism to the extremity by including, in addition to Süssmayr's completion, an alternative recording of the work exactly as Mozart left it - no completions, not even of the orchestration. It's quite haunting to hear the Lacrimosa come to an imperfect cadence after less than a minute, and to hear it sung by chorus a cappella, since Mozart hadn't fleshed out the orchestration beyond the first couple of bars. It's a good recording, but one that's going to appeal far more to scholars and academics than to audiences!
I agree with Bruno Walter Version. it's also my most fav. and also Karl Bohm / VPO another version i like is Erich Leinsdrof and Boston SO live in memory of President JFK in 1964
Gosh! I pray to the Allmighty that I didn't throw out my still unwrapped copy of Herreweghe's Requiem recording as "the Danish Hurwitz" German born Hansgeorg Lenz (1926 - 2011) convinced many of us radio listeners that Herreweghe's way with Bach was "stylistically atrocious" - pronouncing the word "atrocious" that it almost visually drivelled with venom and gastric acid. After which I vehemently avoided all recordings carrying Herreweghe's name! Curiously enough the same Lenz praised Bernstein's Requiem recording to the skies.
Herreweghe's chorus always has a distinctive sound and manner of attack, and for some people it sounds mannered and lifeless. I myself gave up on him years ago for this reason, but this review has convinced me to give him another chance.
Oh Dave, I'm so sorry for your loss. God bless you during this difficult time.
That was a beautiful tribute. Rest in peace, David Vernier.
so very sorry for your loss mate, man hugs
Thank you!
Wonderful tribute to a friend and to a great piece of music!
What a wonderful way to memorialize your friend and colleague. On a personal note this was a work that I first heard via the Marriner recording, and many years later was able to sing with our local community choir, still a memorable concert. Thank you, Dave.
So sorry for your loss. What a beautiful and appropriate tribute to David Vernier.
Dave, I'm so sorry to hear about the passing of your friend and colleague, David Vernier. When I was a kid just getting into classical music and building (slowly) a collection in the early part of the CD era, I had a subscription to _CD Review_ magazine and your and David Vernier's reviews were always the ones I read first. The world of classical music has lost someone very special. He will be missed.
Thank you. I will share this with his wife.
Dave, thinking of you in these difficult times, and what a wonderful way to remember your great friend. He is going to be remembered in more ways now.
Thank you very much.
A wonderful way to pay tribute to your friend & honored to view/take part 👍
Rest in peace Mr Vernier! A great tribute to an outstanding critic and reviewer!
You have no idea how fast I clicked on this video when I saw the title! I was waiting for a Mozart Requiem review for a long time. This is a piece, that I hold dear to my heart. It was the first work, that got me into music more seriously, and the piece, that made me realise how different the same work can sound in different performances. The waiting was worth it and your review did not disappoint! Generally I have to agree with what you said, but there are some differences.
About the editions - I never really cared terribly much, as long as it's either the Süßmayr or the Beyer. I actually always preferred the first one, but the Beyer never really bothered me too much.
I was quite surprised about your Bruno Walter pick - when I heard it, I thought it's just not very good - lacking in discipline, passion, beauty, power and I felt like pretty much everything went wrong in that recording - a "great artist, bad day" if you will. Now I will give it another try I guess, maybe it's better then I initially thought.
When it comes to the Mackerras recording - I was actually impressed by it when I first heard it. Kinda agree about the singing, but the conducting and orchestral playing are so sharp and disciplined, that, despite the smaller, more chamber like sonorities, the overall performance felt very exciting and convincing.
The Bernstein is an interesting choice. I love the interpretation, but the recording would have benefited a lot from studio conditions and the performance itself lacks discipline and sharpness. So definitely not a first choice, but one worth checking out.
I also wanted to mention some recordings that are I think excellent: Barenboim on EMI - I was surprised that it didn't make it into the video - not a performance full of personality or character, but just a very good, solid, decent version.
Another interesting live performance, that I quite liked was Szell - pretty much everything I said about Bernstein is true about it as well. The conception is very different from Bernstein though, and I think it's worth checking out for fans of the work.
I was also quite impressed with the naturalness and flow that Solti, another live version, brought to the music - a fast, exciting, powerful performance, not the most interesting interpretation, but that's Solti for you.
Giulini on Sony was someone I was looking forward to hearing, but I thought the performance was just a bit too heavy and dull. Not bad, and quite beautiful, but just heavy. The climaxes never erupt with the nessesery punch and I thought he underplays some of the music. Overall not bad though.
Karajan! Ok, I know this will be controversial, and I know your view on his thousands of recordings (he really recorded it too many times), but hear me out - if you are looking for pure beauty and lyrical passion there is no better choice then him. Yes, he underplays the musics punchier, more exciting bits, yes his sonorities are one of a kind and everything gets buried under the strings (which I kinda like actually), but it's all part if his conception. And I'm not praising it just because it was my first recording - there is no denying that he manages to realise his vision extremely well, no matter how one personally feels about it or how "idiomatic" it is. I have to check which one out of his hundreds of performances was the really impressive one though, I have unfortunately forgotten, he did it so many times, that I am buried in Karajan Mozart Requiems.
Ok, down to my top three, the essential versions, everybody should hear: 1.Marriner 1977 - Mr Vernier's choice is indeed a very special performance and I completely agree with him. It's just a perfect one - Marriner nails all of the music's drama, excitement, lyrical passion and beauty. The recording is completely transparent, you hear everything, the orchestra plays with tremendous weight, the singing is powerful, and so on. I was particularly impressed with the Dies Irae, the Agnus Dei and the Confutatis. Overall, it's just the perfect realisation of the Beyer edition. I have to say, when I heard his remake, I tought that, although it was decent of course, it's a bit bland and frankly faceless. Thanks to your recommendation though I will give it a second chance 2.A performance, that I was very surprised you didn't mention - Riccardo Muti with Berlin. Everything that I said about Marriner 1977 holds true about Muti as well - the perfect playing and singing, the weight and power, the beauty and passion, just the greatest realisation of the original Süßmayr edition. I think this version has just the perfect Tuba Mirum, even more impressive then Marriner. And as I said, I actually prefer this edition, over the Beyer, but that's just my personal preference. 3.Yeah, it has to be Harnoncourt's remake. His first one wasn't as impressive, but the live one is just tremendous! Simply the most beautiful and transcendental recording ever. And he doesn't underplay the climaxes either - they have plenty of punch, sharpness and excitement. Truly "The" period performance to have!
TLDR: My top 3:
1. Marriner 1977 - best Beyer edition
2. Muti - best Süßmeyr edition
3. Harnoncourt 2004 - best period performance
Sorry for the overly long comment, but I feel very strongly about the piece, and was waiting for the video for a looong time. I hope you enjoyed reading it!
Dear Dave, I’m very sorry for your loss. Curiously I have asked for this talk last week and August 1st is also the anniversary of my beloved Mother’s passing… Thank you for this talk. As I said, our chorus was preparing it and we just performed it last Sunday. As I was studying it I came across Muti’s recording with Berlin for Warner and I particularly liked the chorus. It is particularly well captured and you can hear all the voices and follow it with the score. This talk was a great homage to your friend! Take care.🤗
So sad to hear of the passing of your dear friend. Like you, I appreciate the Mozart Requiem more than I really like it.....and I'm a professional trombonist who has performed it multiple times.
The trombone solo is coveted by many in my profession, but I have always found it awkward.
Mozart's Requiem is a favourite piece of mine, which I play often. I will think of you and your friend David from now on whenever I play it or hear it. Very sorry for you loss.
Mr Vernier sounds like a true mensch. What a great tribute. Sincere condolences for your loss Dave!
The legendary video finally has come. Thank you for being here with us one more day, Dave! Take care!
I am so sorry to hear about your loss, but thank you for the opportunity to discover some more recordings of the Requiem.
I have only one recording of it, I don't know which edition it is, but it is definitely a staple in my CDs: Michel Corboz, directing the Choeur Symphonique et Orchestre de la Fondation Gulbenkian de Lisbonne, with Elly Ameling, Barbara Scherler, Louis Devos and Roger Soyer, on ERATO from 1976. Having played under Michel Corboz with our local Youth Orchestra in Switzerland when I was still a teenager, I could hardly ignore the great director's work. And he was from a village in our region, after all ☺
That's a lovely version.
Thank you David for sharing, day after day, your knowledge and your insightful enthusiasm. I'll keep on listening!
Thank you to you and your late friend for hipping me to the Bernius. I had not heard it before and it's very much to my liking. Someone has posted it to TH-cam.
Very sorry to hear of the loss you've all suffered, but what a lovely tribute to your friend❤
This is possibly my favorite video you have done so far. Such a touching tribute. I don't know this piece very well, so I'll listen to a few of your recommendations. I also think this is possibly one of your best repertoire videos in terms of pacing, economy, and "bang for buck"- a thorough but non-exhaustive survey of the creme of the crop. Thank you, and thank you, David Vernier
A terribly sad reason for a great and heartfelt talk.
What a beautiful tribute, Dave! My condolences.
Wonderful review and remembrance of a friend, partner and colleague. Thank you.
Thank you for letting us know about Mr. Vernier and his legacy. I never paid attention to choral works but in the last two years I have started listening to them due to his reviews at Classics Today. I am sorry for your loss.
You wrote a really lovely obituary in Classics Today. My condolences for the loss of your friend and colleague.
My deepest condolences, Dave. What a marvelous tribute!
I love your style. Thank you. Found this channel quite casually, love it. Sorry for your loss. Hi from Italy!
I cant believe David Vernier passed away. His reviews are so good and so insightful, I always look foward to his reviews on Early Music. Dave, thanks the video, God bless you.
I am so sorry for your loss David. Please accept my humble condolences.
I’m very sorry for your loss Mr. Hurwitz. What a great person he was.
Mozart's Requiem was a work that influenced me a lot in my youth. I was in the Copenhagen Boys Choir, and we sung it in the Danish Radio Concert Hall. I loved the work so much that I - according to my mother - knew the Latin text by heart! The recording she bought for me was the Peter Schreier-version with the four AMAZING soloists. Such a fine and warm version, and beautifully recorded, as you point out. The other version which I listened to was ... the Marriner version, because it is the one used in the soundtrack of the Amadeus movie which I loved and watched many, many times. (Who cares about historical truth? At least, I didn't as a teenager, and it is a great movie with sublime acting and superb atmosphere). So thank you, Dave, for highlighting these exact two versions that have followed me even since being mesmerized by them as a choir boy.
That was beautiful. Thanks, David. A very moving tribute.
I'm going to tell my old high school English teacher about your 'however' choice. He'll be delighted, because he sang in its chorus back in 1977. And he's still singing. A lovely tribute to your colleague, Dave.
Dave would you consider doing a video for Das Knaben Wunderhorn?
I've done at least one already: th-cam.com/video/POrBR0Amrhc/w-d-xo.htmlsi=GL14yHdBabjSLglS
I am VERY sorry to hear this sad news. Here's wishing you my very best during this time of loss.
So very sorry that your friend died. Thank you for opening your heart to us.
And live long! God bless and much love.
Jeff
Thank you for such a touching video. May he rest in peace. You suggested we mention some Mozart Requiems that are worth discussing but not covered in your video. I'd like to mention John Butt and the Dunedin Consort. Just a suggestion. But, more importantly, thank you for sharing with us about David Vernier - many of us are very grateful to him for his excellent reviews.
Fine video...I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, Dave. Those things cut deeply for sure.
Condolences on your, indeed, our loss. Thanks for highlighting and featuring his writing in the new Classics Today newsletter.
Ave atque vale.
One historical version that was a surprising fail was the Beecham Columbia recording he did for the 1956 Mozart bicentennial. For some reason, maybe that Beecham was not a requiem kind of guy, it just never "comes off the page."
I'm so glad you covered the Schreier. Beautiful.
So sorry for your loss. Thank you for this.
Condolences on the loss of your friend. Xx
I am very sorry for your, and ClassicsToday's, loss. I'll miss reading David Vernier's reviews. Thank you for the beautiful tribute you've published to him over at ClassicsToday.
Thanks also for this video. The Schreier/Dresden recording has long been my "reference" for the Mozart Requiem, but I'll have to listen to the Marriner on Decca (having found the Philips remake very good, but lacking something in oomph or spirit). I'll also be interested to hear -- and hear about -- the reissue of Giulini.
I've read many reviews by Mr. Vernier at ClassicsToday, so it's a sad to hear he's passed away. This is a fine tribute.
I loved listening Requiem with my grandmother as a child. It is one of those listens that I abandoned growing up, probably because I tie it to moments that will not return and in recent days to the fact that she is gone. Mozart's Requiem, in its incompleteness and in its being a kind of Frankenstein, while not among Mozart's finest works has always conveyed to me a holy awe in facing it again. Maybe I will try... Your video moved me, thank you for all you do for us classical lovers. Tom
Sorry to hear about David’s passing. I really enjoyed his reviews, especially in the violin repertoire.
My condolences on the passing of your friend and colleague. Sad news.
Thank you so much for these videos because I would need to listen to millions of albums to find the best ones. This is a tremendous help to discover the gorgeous ones and skip the mediocre ones. For example, you were spot on with the best Damnation de Faust from Berlioz with the French cast! I would never have found that album, the ones by Simon Rattle and Collin Davis being the best-known recordings.
First of all: I'm sure David is singing up there, right alongside the best. Thanks for sharing this tribute with us all, intermingling public and private with great taste and affection. Secondly: I really like your selection here! And I'm known to really, really like Mozart's Requiem. I cannot NOT mention Currentzis here (I know, I know...): his Requiem is electric, lean, nervous and very well singed and conducted - alas, maybe not weighty enough and sometimes a bit frantic and obiously very personal and controlled. Still a great Requiem in my book.
A timely and touching review . Thank you so much for sharing this with us , we appreciate it. We will all have our favourite versions of Mozart's Requiem. Among mine I keep a place for the Naive recording with Accentus Choeur de Chambre , Insula Orchestre , a fine team of soloists led by Sandrine Piau , Soprano and conducted by Laurence Equilbey. It was recorded at Versailles . I find it direct, sober but not austere and ultimately very moving
Nice tribute Dave
First of all: I have been reading David Vernier’s reviews for decades and this is a tremendous loss. I am so sorry.
Secondly: while I know Mozart’s Requiem extremely well - having conducted it, participated in several performances of it in which I played cello, double bass and sang in the chorus (not all in the same performance), written program notes about it and produced radio programs about it, and one of my most cherished memories was when I had a conversation with Colin Davis about it - I agree with you that it’s not one of Mozart’s masterpieces. The Mass in C minor is far superior, and I’m convinced that had he lived Mozart would have left the Requiem in an even more incomplete state than he left the Mass. But its appeal runs deeper than its actual quality and it seems we’re both susceptible to its emotional pull. (And there’s something deeply moving about Mozart when he’s being less than perfect.)
Third: a couple of notable ways of performing the work that you didn’t mention. Richard Maunder did the edition Hogwood used for his recording which was significant for its time; he’s the one who created the Amen fugue out of a sketch Sussmayr ignored. Perhaps it’s an overreach but I find it more convincing than Levin’s version.
Then there’s the opposite tack, which is to perform the work exactly as Mozart left it as an unfinished torso. Why add arms to the Venus di Milo? It’s moving to hear the work with very sparse orchestration and for the Lacrymosa to cut off after eight bars. That’s the version I used when I conducted it. There have been a couple of recordings of the “fragment” version including one conducted by Christoph Spering; there still isn’t one on the level of the recordings you mentioned but there should be. It’s worth checking out.
As to your list: I remember in the 80s when the conventional wisdom was that Bernstein was terrible at Mozart, but he got the last laugh. His Mozart recordings have held up very well, and that Requiem is indeed a great recording. And I’m glad you started with Bruno Walter. Pretty much everything should start with Bruno Walter.
I grew up with the Karl Richter recording, which may have scarred me for life, though it still is surprisingly powerful.
Lastly- I just discovered that you’re exactly one day older than I am. Our lives have been very different; you went to college while I spent my 20s and 30s freelancing and working in record stores before becoming a classical radio host, which is what I’m still doing. It’s been a journey. Here’s to our 63rd.
Happy upcoming birthday!
Nice tribute. My favorite is the later Philips Marriner recording but the early one is excellent as well.
My condolences for your colleague and friend David Vernier, whom I also collected invaluable advice on your website. I have listened to the Bernius version after your video, which I find very good. If you allow, I just suggest also Davis with the BBC (Philips) and Szell (live), but this is from someone not vastly in the know.
Dear David, this is a beautiful video. Sorry for your loss, and this is a great dedication. I have the Peter Schreier on LP, and on CD the Merriner (Philips), one by Peter Neumann, in a box with all Mozart's Masses...and the one by Norrington ( EMI), which was completed by Druce; the Lacrimosa includes a fuga, that I found a bit odd. I would like to listen to the one by Harnoncourt. My regards, GV
Beautiful tribute, Dave.
What a lovely, and loving memorial to your CT partner. (I esp. appreciated the mention of "5823" ;)
Sorry for your loss Professor Hurwitz. Yes, I was shocked at the Mackerras review. As you have pointed out, he was a remarkably consistent and eclectic musician.
A beautiful and moving video.
Thank you for this lovely video as a tribute, Dave (I have read some reviews by Mr. Vernier and always found them enlightening). I share your opinion, the Requiem is not my Mozart's favourite. However, I have a sentimental attraction for this work since playing the timpani part was my first paid gig when I was a teenager. I also think Marriner's rendition in the soundtrack of Amadeus does not come from his Decca recording but was recorded especially for the needs of the film. The end of the Lacrimosa, when Mozart's corpse is thrown into a common grave, deeply impressed me since Marriner asked both the choir and his timpanist, Tristan Fry, to sing and play very loud. The end of the overwhelming roll, when one sees the priest's tears who sits near the old Saliery, adds a lot of drama and pathos to this miserable funerals (although we know it was not unusual in those days, even for wealthier people, since it fitted both some masonic and hygienic rules).
My condolences on your loss.
I'm so sorry to learn of David's death. I wrote some reviews for him about forty years ago when he was working on the Wayne Green mag Digital Audio, and he had a light editing touch (or it could be that I wrote the way he liked). I'm sorry that I never had a chance to work with him again, and especially sad not to have actually met him.
The recording used in Amadeus is the 1977 one. The movie was released in 1984 and Marriner's second recording is from 1991.
I knew someone would tell me.
Thank you for this heartfelt tribute to your colleague Maestro@@DavesClassicalGuide. A question: The Verbier festival released a 2007 highlights CD with Manfred Honeck conducting the Kyrie - Dies Irae - Confutatis movements of what seems to have been a listenworthy performance.
Was that ever released in its entity?
I assumed that Marriner recorded the Amadeus music especially for the movie. This assumption was reinforced when I bought a copy of the 1977 disc and the Confutatis was a terrible disappointment because it didn’t sound like there were any trumpets or tympani at all, unlike the movie where both were thrillingly evident.
No, the recording in Amadeus is NOT the 1977 one. I have the soundtrack album and the 1977 recording and they are nothing alike. The music for Amadeus was recorded especially for the movie. At any rate, the Introitus in the movie would not match any recorded performance as only the first seven-and-a-bit bars (out of 48) are played in the movie.
You're right. In the Wikipedia entry for the film Amadeus, it says that all the tracks were performed specifically for the film. And in the ASMF website, it says that the soundtrack was recorded by ASMF in 1984.
If you listen to the eight bars of the "Lacrymosa," (the only part of that piece that he actually composed), and note how the music stops, you get a sense of how life is cut short. It mimics the unfinished life that Mozart actually lived. What a poetic and meaningful representation of how life's music stops suddenly and unexpectedly. Bless the spirit of your dear friend !
Hi David - such an honest and heartfelt tribute to your friend. I imprinted on the Schreier version and it remains a favorite - I especially like Margaret Price. I once went to a performance where the soprano was an aspiring Aida. It was,uhm, weird.
Thank you. RIP
I am so sorry for your loss.
I have the Marriner recording from Phillips. It was one of the first CDs I ever bought back in the early 90s. I still have it, I played it yestereday and it didn't even skip. I've purchased a few other recordings of the Rquiem over the years (Shaw, Giulini, Karjan) but the Marriner recording still stands as my favorite recording of the Requiem.
Sorry for you loss!
I'm so very sorry for your loss, Mr. Hurwitz.
The (also uncompleted) Mass is arguably a superior work but I love both. My favorite in the Requiem is the Recordare. By the way a couple of sleeper recordings feature boys choirs and even boy soloists. Vienna and Toelzer choirs. New College Oxford that did such a fine Messiah (believe it or not, the boy soloists are outstanding) seems not to have recorded this work. I also like the Colin Davis recording,
Agreed that the Schreier recording is excellent, it’s the recording that introduced me to the full work back when I was in college in the 80s. Will need to go listen to the Harnoncourt and Marriner I, haven’t yet heard either (except if the Marriner was indeed used in Amadeus).
On another note, agreed too that the late Arleen Auger was a fabulous and much-missed singer. I’d like to put in a vote for Best Recording Ever for her Love Songs recital with Dalton Baldwin. First listened to it way back on the merit of a Penguin Rosette, but I think it deserves a Hurzette too.
hey dave LOVE your videos, hello from aberdeen scotland
What a beautiful tribute.
I am glad that your friend seems to have influenced you in this work, Dave. May mr Vernier rest in piece. My own misgivings were eradicated with Ancerl and the Czech Phil from Montreux in 1966, in beautiful stereo. On Tahra. This piece needs a bit of grit inserted because it is a little bit hickledy pickledy, and Veselka’s way with the choir and the orchestra’s contribution do that.
That was a lovely bit ! Sending you and family good vibes
Thank you for putting this version on my radar
Very sorry for your loss, Dave. I know his friendship meant a lot to you.
Nicely done!
Lovely tribute. Personally, Bernstein on a desert island, but in the end I'll choose for Harnoncourt. Everting slows down and become less gentle, or lets say easy. Anyhow, it will make me think of his Bach Christmas Oratorio and smile in the knowledge too
Our choir just did the Mozart Requiem with the Symphony. Our conductor liked Abbado. I myself much preferred the first Harnoncourt, among the two Marriner recordings. Then, in curiosity, I sampled everyone else on Presto Music streaming, and found the latest Harnoncourt. I agree with the Hurwitz choice.
I also love Abbado although I just listen to the Introitus to be fair
Mozart's Requien is indeed a fascinating work, and it's interesting how different interpretations can evoke such varied reactions. While some people find it deeply moving ,others may not connect with it in the same way. This is indeed how you critique a work and not be offended.
I keep with my favorite Gardiner. Not heard Herreweghe but lots of faith in that because big fan of his Bach.
I also appreciate very much Philippe Herreweghe interpretation. In addition to what Dave said, it is worth mentioning that it is nicely coupled with the d minor Kyrie K 341, whose mood is similar to the Requiem, and rarely recorded.
I'm with you, Dave. Mozart's Requiem has never done it for me either. And, yeah, "patchy" is a good description.
My favourite is by Philippe Herreweghe. Why? The urgency that runs through the requiem seems so historically relevant. A reflection of the final months of Mozart's life. The soloists are excellent
Firstly, great video, you are a gem and have so much sincerity. No fluff, just being yourself. Much respect for you.
Secondly, do you have a video about how/where you buy your CD's and how you listen to them? Do you find diminishing returns when it comes to optimizing your audio setup?
I don't discuss those issues specifically, but in passing as they come up!
There’s one specific recording of Mozart’s Requiem that I really like: Laurence Equilbey, directing the Insula Orchestra and Accentus. It is performed on period instruments. The Dies Irae, Confutatis and Domine Jesu Christe are amazing-the fierceness and dramatism are definitely brought out in this recording. The crispier sound of the period horns is also a huge bonus.
Loved this BECAUSE, anciently, when I was a young person, I happened upon an LP of somebody's new version of the Mozart Requiem. I had never heard of the guy, but was vastly curious, so I bought it just out of curiosity. To my surprise, somehow I felt for the first time that I was completely satisfied with the work (which I knew Mozart did not entirely complete by himself). For me, I guiltily loved THIS total "no name" version of Mozart's Requiem. When Robert Levin was suddenly being touted as the perfect genius putting Mozart back together properly and authoritatively -- I'll be honest -- I never enjoyed a single thing that had his name on it. "Ah well," I thought -- this was during the time Lily Tomlin did her great skit on TV as the telephone operator "We don't care. We don't have to." I didn't care -- I didn't have to -- what was proper and correct, somehow this underdog recording of Mozart's Requiem was the only one that spoke to me. THEN ONE DAY, in a fell-swoop hurry, I sold EVERY LP vinyl album in my house to a used record store. Enough was enough and I was tired of needing two U-Hauls to move my record collection whenever we moved. With that went my recording of Mozart's Requiem and I always wondered whose edition that was. I RECOGNIZED IT when you said it here. What a joy, too, hearing that a genuine lover AND expert -- your beloved friend -- of Mozart's Requiem not only, too, preferred the Franz Beyer (YES!!!!! That's what it said on my LP record jacket) edition, but your friend, here, has recommended his favorite recorded version of it. And -- WOW!!! -- like you, I never would have picked up or thought to hear a DGG Leonard Bernstein version of the Mozart Requiem, but how wonderful that he, great conductor that he was, ALSO chose that edition that I instantly fell in love with the day I heard it. Thank you for this great video, and for this tribute to your multi-talented friend and colleague.
I feel fortunate to have come across the Herreweghe version back in the late 1990s when I was first getting into classical music. I think overall it's my favorite version due to the vocal talent involved and the recording quality. However, I own the 1991 Marriner version and the Amadeus soundtrack, and it pleases me that you regard the three versions so highly.
From what I recall Marriner's two recordings also use two different completions, one is classic Sussmayr version and the other is Beyer's version from 1970's, so the instrumentation differs a bit
Dave that’s very sad. Now I know why there were so many reviews by David on CT today. Lately, I’ve mostly listened to Savall’s performance on Astree coupled with the Masonic Funeral Music (a startling short masterpiece if there ever was one). I’m more interested in the drama than the famous soloists in this work, which I am more convinced about than you. I also really like the Harnoncourt you mentioned. It is never nice losing a colleague:-(
You take care
Can we talk about the pipe organ in the Bernstein recording? Is this a special addition? Sounds great in the Sanctus.
So very sorry Dave. Beautiful tribute
What a lovely tribute. I love that Marriner recording (I have it on an Argo LP).
When I consider the conductor who has made the greatest number of recordings I have enjoyed, my thoughts turn to Marriner. I agree with you that he made some truly bad records, but his Handel, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and 20th century small orchestra stuff range from really good to great. The playing of ASMF was of the highest calibre. I think his level of accomplishment was comparable to Szell's.
So sorry for your loss. I think there is a significant omission Christopher Hogwood, Kirkby, Watkinson, Rolfe Johnson, Thomas, Westminster Cathedral Choir, AAMC on Decca. And for the Amadeus film, it was the Phillips version of Marriner which I also happen to love. McNair's singing is excellent and I prefer the soloists on the Phillips version.
No, it was the Decca, not the Philips.
@@DavesClassicalGuide No, it was neither. The soundtrack was recorded specially for the film.
As you opened this review on a personal note, I might perhaps make a personal observation of my own: that 1st August was my wedding anniversary, and the day of your friend's passing should have been the 15th such anniversary, but tragically my marriage fell apart over the last couple of years, so the date will have as sad a resonance for me as it will for you.
I always thought Neville Mariner got the best out of Mozart; his recordings formed the soundtrack for the film adaptation of "Amadeus" and to my childhood self it seemed as though Mozart was speaking through Mariner! However, in adulthood I developed an interest in the bare bones of Mozart's Requiem and was very struck by Richard Maunder's edition of the work, which dispenses with all of the material added or completed by Joseph Eybler and Franz Süssmayr, leaving the work as something of a torso, with the orchestration completed in a manner consistent with Mozart's contemporary works. Maunder's edition was recorded in 1984 for Decca by the Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood, with the Choir of Westminster Cathedral, Emma Kirkby, Carolyn Watkinson, Anthony Rolfe Johnson and David Thomas, and although the upper voices are somewhat overwhelmed in places it's a fine account of the 'original' work; I tend to prefer it nowadays.
In this vein, there is also a recording on Opus 111 by Chorus Musicus Köln with Das Neue Orchester under Christoph Spering which takes musicological puritanism to the extremity by including, in addition to Süssmayr's completion, an alternative recording of the work exactly as Mozart left it - no completions, not even of the orchestration. It's quite haunting to hear the Lacrimosa come to an imperfect cadence after less than a minute, and to hear it sung by chorus a cappella, since Mozart hadn't fleshed out the orchestration beyond the first couple of bars. It's a good recording, but one that's going to appeal far more to scholars and academics than to audiences!
Interesting. The Beyer is the edition I prefer as well. In addition, I really like the Bernstein and Peter Schreier recordings.
I agree with Bruno Walter Version. it's also my most fav. and also Karl Bohm / VPO
another version i like is Erich Leinsdrof and Boston SO live in memory of President JFK in 1964
Gosh! I pray to the Allmighty that I didn't throw out my still unwrapped copy of Herreweghe's Requiem recording as "the Danish Hurwitz" German born Hansgeorg Lenz (1926 - 2011) convinced many of us radio listeners that Herreweghe's way with Bach was "stylistically atrocious" - pronouncing the word "atrocious" that it almost visually drivelled with venom and gastric acid. After which I vehemently avoided all recordings carrying Herreweghe's name!
Curiously enough the same Lenz praised Bernstein's Requiem recording to the skies.
Herreweghe's chorus always has a distinctive sound and manner of attack, and for some people it sounds mannered and lifeless.
I myself gave up on him years ago for this reason, but this review has convinced me to give him another chance.
The German music critic Joachim Kaiser once wrote: "Only Frau Musica can comfort like a mother comforts." I agree.