Berlioz: Grande Messe des Morts, Op. 5 (Requiem)

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The St Paul's acoustic is something to be reckoned with...and it is striking to observe how careful Davis is to allow for the famous echo...There's some lovely orchestral detail...The chorus... — Gramophone Magazine, June 2013 More…

Release Date: 11th Mar 2013
Catalogue No: LSO0729
Label: LSO Live
Length: 93 minutes

Gramophone Magazine

June 2013

Editor's Choice

Berlioz: Grande messe des morts, H 75

Work length1:33:59

$17.10

$20.80

$25.60

London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Choir, London Symphony Chorus, Sir Colin Davis, Barry Banks

I. Requiem et Kyrie

Track length12:14

$2.15

$2.60

$3.20

II. Dies irae

Track length13:38

$2.15

$2.60

$3.20

III. Quid sum miser

Track length3:22

$1.05

$1.30

$1.60

IV. Rex tremendae

Track length6:44

$1.05

$1.30

$1.60

V. Quaerens me

Track length5:10

$1.05

$1.30

$1.60

VI. Lacrymosa

Track length11:45

$2.15

$2.60

$3.20

VII. Offertoire (Domine Jesu Christe)

Track length11:48

$2.15

$2.60

$3.20

VIII. Hostias

Track length3:47

$1.05

$1.30

$1.60

IX. Sanctus

Track length11:27

$2.15

$2.60

$3.20

X. Agnus Dei

Track length14:04

$2.15

$2.60

$3.20

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Sir Colin Davis is a revered Berlioz expert and his LSO live Berlioz recordings have been one of the most widely acclaimed series’ of classical recordings of recent years and collected numerous awards, including two Grammy Awards for Les Troyens.

The release of the monumental Grande Messe des morts marks the completion of this cycle and further confirms Sir Colin’s status as one of the greatest living conductors of Berlioz’s music.

Recorded in St Paul’s Cathedral, a fitting acoustic for the work, the London Symphony Orchestra opened the 50th anniversary of the City of London Festival with the requiem, joined by English lyric tenor Barry Banks and two of London’s finest choirs, the London Symphony Chorus and London Philharmonic Choir.

Grand Messe des Morts is a popular Berlioz creation, yet remains a rare and special treat. A requiem whose text derives from the traditional Latin Requiem Mass, it was composed, uniquely, by a man with no firm religious belief. Throughout the piece there is an extreme variation of dynamics. Poignant, reflective music is contrasted with four blazing brass ensembles, ensuring a very powerful and grand listening experience.

Reviews

June 2013

The St Paul's acoustic is something to be reckoned with...and it is striking to observe how careful Davis is to allow for the famous echo...There's some lovely orchestral detail...The chorus is excellent...Barry Banks, sounding some way off, is effortlessly mellifluous. Whether in 2012 or 1969, Colin Davis is a must-have.

18th April 2013

The orchestral playing is superb throughout...Sir Colin Davis, too, is in a class apart as a Berlioz interpreter and this performance simply confirms that. This is, from start to finish, magnificent. It’s astonishing to think that when this recording was made he was a few weeks shy of his eighty-fifth birthday for there is no want of energy here...Berlioz found in Sir Colin Davis a champion beyond compare.

17th March 2013

the enigmatic rising phrases that launch the work continue to reverberate hauntingly in the surrounding silences, and the tone of the combined LSO and LPO choirs — singing beautifully and bringing out the music’s profound sadness — is wonderfully enhanced. Colin Davis fits the work to the conditions with a master hand. Memorable.

Audiophile Audition

Everything about it is judged as just right, and Davis is one of the few who consistently realizes that the lyrical propensities of the composer are as important—especially in this work—as the more grandiose and bombastic passages. As an interpretation this is as good as it gets, the equal of any recording on the market.

classicalsource.com

The two concerts in Saint Paul’s Cathedral in June 2012 upon which this recording is based were colossal events. I attended the first of them and have rarely been so moved by the magnificence of stately music superbly rendered. LSO Live has captured the moment with remarkable fidelity.

20th April 2013

Sir Colin Davis’s grip on the score is as sure as it ever was, the massed choral forces coordinated with unerring precision. He’s always had an ear for Berlioz’s quirky sense of orchestral colour...Barry Banks is excellent...This is an essential purchase

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Berlioz: Grande Messe des Morts, Op. 5 (Requiem)

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