Dvorak: Requiem, Op. 89

“Robust, colourful performances. Not the last word in subtlety, perhaps, but boasting fine analogue Decca engineering and some outstanding soloists.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2013 ****

“Lorengar's singing is particularly sensitive and appealing in the quieter passages … The four soloists combine beautifully in the quartet "Recordare, Jesu pie", and the chorus with them in "Pie Jesu, Domine", perhaps the loveliest movement in the work … The hero of the occasion is Kertész. He gets choral singing and orchestral playing of the finest quality from the Ambrosian Singers and the London Symphony Orchestra. It is abundantly evident that he cherishes a great love for this work … tremendous vitality and care for balance … The big climaxes are thrilling and altogether Kertesz and his forces make one revise one's qualified view of the work to a very large extent. This is certainly the finest performance of it that I have ever heard” Gramophone Magazine (Dvorák)

“[Lorengar] is attractive in all she does, and phrases with delicacy … Minton moves surely through the octave-and-a-fifth leaps, the octave-and-a-fifth arpeggios, of "Fac ut portem" … Pavarotti always delights me with the ease and naturalness of his singing, and his pure vowels; his solo in the first number is outstanding. In the celebrated "Cuius animam" he rings out splendidly … Sotin has a voice of firm focus and beautiful timbre” Gramophone Magazine (Rossini)

“The flow of the music [in the Requiem] is entirely natural in Jansons’s hands, the chorus, soloists and instrumental detail both gelling with and standing out from the texture as the occasion demands...[The Eighth's] exuberance and radiant instrumental colour [are] vivified through a performance of poise and rejuvenating verve.” The Telegraph, 14th May 2010 *****

“...it's a real performance [of the Symphony] and a worthy makeweight for a magnificent reading of the Requiem, which is a real feather in Jansons's cap” Gramophone Magazine, July 2010

“[Jansons] clearly understands the dynamics of this strongly unified work and nearly everywhere his tempos are well judged. He is also very well served by superb choral singing and orchestral playing that clearly relishes the work's many challenges...the first two movements [of the Symphony] are a near ideal blend of volatility and poetry.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2010 ****

“...what impresses most about this recording is the deeply sincere approach the performers adopt, confidently allowing the work to speak for itself...The four soloists are impressive... but the real heroes here are the members of the Wiener Singverein, whose fervent singing throughout such a lengthy work is a marvellous feat.” International Record Review, July/August 2010

“All the virtues of Järvi's approach come together… in the Agnus Dei: beautifully paced and crafted, the performance captures superbly the radiance of Dvorák's vision of the hereafter.” BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2009 ***

“…this is essentially an ensemble work, and one of Järvi's strengths lies in allowing the choir to sing with an almost improvisatory fluency, though it is of course the product of a deep understanding and watchful control of Dvorák's melodic lines. Järvi makes his points without labouring them. The heavy rhythms of the "Dies irae" are far more telling than over-emphatic thumping; the touch of harshness at the opening of the "Tuba mirum" exactly reflects the intention of the music; in the "Pie Jesu" there is grace and gentleness that never lapses towards sentimentality.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2010

Penguin Guide 1994 3 star

“Kertész's Requiem dates from 1968 and on all counts but one, it surpasses Karel Ancerl's classic 1959 set, reissued on DG in 1995 and coupled with Fischer-Dieskau's 1960 set of Dvorák's Bibli-cal Songs with Jörg Demus. The exception is the rather too soft-grained singing of Pilar Lorengar as compared with the clear, more vibrant soprano of Maria Stader. But Lorengar's singing is particularly sensitive and appealing in the quieter passages.
The lovely quality of Robert Ilosfalvy's voice tells beautifully in 'Liber scriptus proferetur' and in the opening section of the quartet, 'Recordare, Jesu pie'. Dvorák distributes short passages among the soloists impartially. They combine beautifully in the quartet, and the chorus with them in 'Pie Jesu Domine'. The hero of the occasion is Kertész. He gets choral singing and orchestral playing of the finest quality. It's abundantly evident that he cherishes a great love for this work.
The Mass in D (sung in the original version with organ) sits well with the Requiem; Simon Preston produces a fine, well-balanced performance, with the Christ Church choristers on excellent form.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“an inspired performance of Dvorak's Requiem, which here emerges with fiery intensity...The passionate singing of the chorus is unforgettable and the German soloists not only make fine individual contributions but blend together superbly in ensembles.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition