Britten: War Requiem, Op. 66

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The orchestra sounds almost human in its emotional involvement, while the choral singing is of the highest order. Add the beautiful solo performances and it’s impossible to recommend this highly... — Classic FM Magazine, March 2009 More…

Release Date: 10th Nov 2008
Catalogue No: 98507
Label: Hänssler
Length: 82 minutes

Gramophone Magazine

November 2008

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Britten: War Requiem, Op. 66

Work length1:22:34

Album only

Christian Gerhaher (baritone), James Taylor (tenor), Annette Dasch (soprano)
Aurelius Sangerknaben Calw, Stuttgart Festival Ensemble
Helmuth Rilling

Requiem aeternam

Track length9:22

$2.00

$2.60

Dies Irae

Track length26:15

Album only

Offertorium

Track length10:31

$3.00

$3.85

Sanctus

Track length9:54

$2.00

$2.60

Agnus Dei

Track length3:27

$1.00

$1.30

Libera Me

Track length23:05

Album only

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Britten’s War Requiem may be one of the largest and most enduring works of the 20th century. Soloists Annette Dasch, James Taylor and Christian Gerhaher, along with conductor Helmuth Rilling give a truly shattering performance of Britten’s huge choral masterpiece. This is a very welcome release presented in superb SACD sound.

Reviews

March 2009

The orchestra sounds almost human in its emotional involvement, while the choral singing is of the highest order. Add the beautiful solo performances and it’s impossible to recommend this highly enough.

2010

A wonderful performance and a most moving experience. Critically, one must keep the experience (subjective) as distant from the relatively objective facts of the performance as possible: on this occasion that wasn't very easy, or even desirable. Certainly all the elements in this complex organisation are well served. The soloists are admirable, Annette Dasch pure in tone, powerfully concentrated in style, James Taylor a tenor whose voice can respond to what is gentle and compassionate in his music as to the unsparing harshness, and Christian Gerhaher authoritative, humane and (like the others) entirely firm in his singing. The choir is fine in blend, precision and enunciation; the boys' choir, too, ideal in its embodiment of unsanctimonious sanctity. For the chamber ensemble and full orchestra, only admiration, as for the recording's producer and engineer who have dealt so well with the difficult task of keeping these elements distinct and unifying them at the same time. Above all, we must honour their conductor, whose mature guidance is everywhere in evidence.
It's the sense of unity that has distinguished this experience of the War Requiem most especially.
Rarely has it moved with such logic. That seems a strange word to use in the description of what was so deeply emotional, yet it's right. For the first time the work moved with the singleminded force of a geometrical theorem. Darkness and light, war and peace, noise and quiet are the unifying opposites throughout. The selection and sequence of Owen's poems are so wellfitting that the line – can you call it 'of argument'? – is unbroken and all goes forward to the almost painful easement of 'Let us sleep now'.
Do to try it for yourself.

November 2008

A wonderful performance, and listening to it… has been a most moving experience. The soloists are admirable… The choir is fine in blend, precisions and enunciation; the boys' choir too, ideal in its embodiment of unsanctimonious sanctity. For the chamber ensemble and full orchestra, only admiration... Above all, we must honour their conductor, whose mature guidance is everywhere in evidence.

24th October 2008

Rilling is undoubtedly an efficient choir trainer - the Festivalensemble Stuttgart manages even the trickiest passages of Britten's choral writing with suave assurance

Offer,Britten: War Requiem, Op. 66

2 SACDs

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