Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Herbert von Karajan, Agnes Baltsa :: Verdi: Messa da Requiem

Baltsa and Tomowa-Sintow shine; best Libera Me I've ever hea

pyramidcvv | Western US | 04/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For some reason, mezzo soloists never seem to be very memorable to me in performances of the Verdi Requiem. Despite the generous amount of air time, they just never seem to make an impression on me.



Not any more. I was simply blown away by Agnes Baltsa. She has a sound that can pierce through the thickest orchestral layers and knock you over with tremendous power.



The first time I heard Anna Tomowa-Sintow was in a televised production of Andrea Chenier, and I'd been a fan ever since. So it was a real delight for me to hear her in this choral warhorse. I was not disappointed. Her rendition of the final Libera Me movement is definitely one of my all-around favorites.



In fact, I found the entire Libera Me sequence totally unforgettable. Everything was memorable to me: the engineered sound, the overwhelming choral fugue, the immense power of the orchestra, and, of course, Anna Tomowa-Sintow.



The engineered sound is quite good as other reviewers have noted. However, I personally found the earlier Karajan CD (with Freni and Ludwig) to be more compelling. This album had some really quirky details. For instance, in the big Dies Irae, I consistently heard this annoying trumpet trill. It's in the score, but no other CD I'd ever heard amplified it quite this much. Same thing for the violin triplets at the end of the Liber Scriptus (just before the chorus re-enters).



The chorus is a combined group from the Vienna State Opera and the Sofia National Opera, and their wonderful talents are put to maximum use. Karajan performs the two choral fugues a bit slower than other conductors, but that just gives you a better chance to appreciate the fine detail work of the singers.



I loved Jose Carreras in both this CD and his later version with Claudio Abbado. But I thought he tended to get a bit too "dramatic" in Ingemisco. I thought his version with Abbado was a bit cleaner.



At 86 1/2" spread over two full-priced discs, this isn't a particularly economical buy. Maybe it will be re-issued later with filler (like the earlier version with Freni and Ludwig).



Five stars for the powerful soprano and mezzo soloists, the masterful work of the chorus and orchestra, and the fabulous engineered sound."

The best perfomance

Pink Panther | Florida, USA | 02/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are many top versions of Verdi's requiem in the market. If I had to choose one that this would be it. The perfomance is superb and ouy rarely mind so much talent together. The names speak for themselves:

Herbet von Karajan, Agnes Baltsa, Jose Carreras, Jose Van Dam, Anna Tomowa-Sintow. Buy it and enjoy it."