Search - Verdi, Freni, Karajan :: Requiem

Recorded sound is unforgettable!

pyramidcvv | Western US | 04/06/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When it comes to the Verdi Requiem and the ultimate recorded sound, most people think of Georg Solti. But I can assure you that the Karajan recording with Freni et al has some of the most memorable recorded sound of any around.



Herbert von Karajan has recorded the Verdi Requiem several times. This one features Freni, Ludwig, Cossuta, and Ghiaurov, and has a publish date of 1972. At 89", this is not a speedy Requiem, but still a very musical one.



Ludwig and Ghiaurov recorded the Verdi Requiem with Giulini in 1964, and it is great to hear them together again. Carlo Cossuta has a big, ringing tenor sound which will certainly delight lovers of Italian grand opera. Mirella Freni's sound is more lyrical, but still plenty big for the Requiem.



The Wiener Singverein is, of course, the chorus of choice in all of Karajan's choral albums. The chorus does a terrific job here. Ditto for the Berlin Philharmonic.



The recorded sound, as I've said, is simply fabulous. The orchestra is almost recorded too well: it often totally drowns out the chorus (listen to Tuba Mirum to hear what I mean). But if you love to turn your music up, this is a definite recommendation.



This version is easy to obtain, and is available in several formats, some of them on budget labels. There is the stand-alone version featured here (no additional music), a Deutsche Grammophon (DG) "two-fer" budget version, and a version on the DG budget "Panorama" series coupled with excerpts from Don Carlo and Otello."