| Clean-sounding and precise (review from amazon.co.uk) |
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| The Requiem in C minor was much admired in its day by Beethoven, Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and even Brahms and Wagner. One reason for its disappearance from view is possibly the fact that it is a purely choral work, with no soloists involved. This limits the textural colour and drama of the piece. The account here from Boston Baroque, directed by Martin Pearlman, is clean-sounding and precise, with not more than six singers to a part. This makes for lucid textures and a feel more "classical" than "romantic". The work dates from 1816, and Cherubini lived till 1842, planting him, some would assert, definitively in the "romantic" camp - as such, the fuller sound of the bigger orchestra and choir under Riccardo Muti (Philharmonia Orchestra and Ambrosian Chorus) will provide a more dramatic and intense experience for some listeners. The latter is still available at a budget price coupled with Verdi's Requiem. However, Boston Baroque does bring two rare pieces to fill up the disc, the Marche Funebre of Cherubini (1820) with its prominent use of tam-tam, and Beethoven's Elegiac Song op. 118. Throughout the disc, the smaller forces bring out the introspective and meditative qualities of the music, creating the feel of a church, rather than a concert-hall, experience.
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