Classic Library - Verdi: Requiem / Solti, Price, Et Al

$15.99
Label
Sony Masterworks
Release Date
October 12, 2004
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      VERDI, GIUSEPPE
    • PERFORMER
      Solti, Cso
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      October 12, 2004
    • UPC
      828766231823
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      82876623182
    • LABEL
      Sony Masterworks
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      2
    • GENRE
      Choral - Sacred
    Works ⌄

    1. Requiem - Kyrie

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    2. Dies irae: Dies irae, dies illa

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    3. Dies irae: Tuba mirum

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    4. Dies irae: Liber scriptus

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    5. Dies irae: Quid sum miser

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    6. Dies irae: Rex tremendae

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    7. Dies irae: Recordare

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    8. Dies irae: Ingemisco

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    9. Dies irae: Confutatis

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    10. Dies irae: Lacrymosa

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    11. Offertorio

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    12. Sanctus

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    13. Agnus Dei

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    14. Lux aeterna

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti

    15. Libera me

      Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

      Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José Van Dam

      Conductor: Georg Solti


Of Georg Solti's two recordings of the Verdi Requiem, I slightly prefer this later one, though I realize that this isn't received wisdom. The Decca recording, after all, features Sutherland, Horne, Pavarotti, and Talvela as soloists, and while Sutherland arguably is not the right voice for the part, everyone else is very good indeed. On the other hand, Leontyne Price, even toward the end of her career, certainly does have the right voice, as does Veriano Luchetti, while Baker and Van Dam are very intelligent singers by any measure, and they do a good job here. Besides, it's hard not to raise an eyebrow at the generic complaint that "singer X lacks a true Italianate timbre" when the words being sung are in Latin and the drama (such as it is) occurs entirely within a devotional framework. The music certainly can take many different approaches, particularly when there's so little actual agreement on what a "true Italianate timbre" is.


Also compared to the Decca recording, Solti here has the finer chorus, a better orchestra (for this work at least), and strangely enough, better (meaning less gimmicky) sound, particularly in this admirable new remastering that minimizes the claustrophobic closeness of the original and allows some air to circulate around the performers. Solti's interpretation remains consistent, exciting, and direct, with a particularly thrilling account of the brief Sanctus and a Dies Irae chorus that is as violent as anyone could want without ever turning merely brutal or hysterical. A work as rich as this one always excites a wide range of opinions, and personal preferences tend to vary substantially. My personal favorite, all things considered, is the first Muti on EMI, with Scotto, Baltsa, Luchetti, Nesterenko, and the Philharmonia Orchestra; but on any given day I also might go for one of Giulini's (his best is his mono live recording on BBC Legends), Fricsay (DG), Shaw, Toscanini, and yes, either of Solti's. He's definitely among the select few.
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com