Search - Schnittke, Kaljuste, Ericson Chamber Choir :: Requiem

Great works by 20th century composers - especially Gorecki!

jovaldo | 03/12/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Knowing the amazing work conductor Tonu Kallijuste has done with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, I didn't hesitate to purchase this recording, especially since the works were of Alfred Schnittke and Henryk Gorecki. The first piece, Schnittke's "Requiem" starts off traditionally enough with a somber choir singing over bells. What follows though is an incredibly interesting take on one of the most popular texts in music. Once the 'Kyrie' begins the piece takes a turn towards the odd. Its quite powerful and beatiful at times, but honestly its just a downright odd interpretation of these texts. One wouldn't expect four percussionists in a setting of the "Requiem," nor would one expect the two trumpets, the electric bass, electric guitar, celeste, piano, and organ that accompany them! This merit of this piece lies in the quirky way Schnittke has chosen to render these extremely traditional texts. His setting of the 'Credo' is particularly noteworthy. It sounds like a medieval choir singing over a jazz drummer riding his hi-hat cymbal, with a funky walking bass line in the background! It certainly leaves a lasting impression. It does have some extremely beautiful moments, but it also has some extremely jarring moments. It loses points because the bizarre interpretation takes away from the meaning of the "Requiem." It was definately intended for the concert stage and not for use in church services. Gorecki's "Miserere" on the other hand is more mainline, which with sacred music is not such a bad thing. The first major difference between these contrasting pieces is that the "Miserere" is a capella. It maintains a sober tone most of the time, but slowly builds in a more joyous spirit. The piece was written in reaction to the brutal attack by the police on people in the Solidarity movement in Poland. Written in 1981 it was banned for years and didn't get its first performance until over 6 years later (at which time the first performance was still made 'illegally.') The piece is stunning and brilliant. People that enjoy Gorecki's 3rd Symphony will probably enjoy this piece. It has moments which will absolutely make you shed tears. Religiously speaking its beautiful. Politically speaking its an important document that shows how the communists in Eastern Europe wanted to stamp out Christianity and personal liberty. The piece is a peaceful protest and rebuttal against the tyranny of communism. Its one of the best pieces of choral music in the 20th century! Not only are the pieces on this CD strong, but the performance is outstanding! The renderings are warm and sympathetic (especially the Gorecki.) Hopefully its just on my copy, but there is a tiny glitch in the Schnittke piece (it lasts probably one or two seconds) were the recording has a little static (like the EQ was set too high) otherwise the sound is great. Overall, I highly recommend the disc."