This falls very neatly into the category of clean, tidy, well-mannered, and very articulate Mozart Requiems, with crisp rhythms and expeditious tempos that perfectly suit the moderate-sized performing forces. There are so many different versions, editions, and variations of each version and edition of this famously unfinished work that your preference may just come down to whichever one you heard first, or whether you prefer period or modern instruments, Süssmayr or Levin, Decca or Telarc. Who knows–but suffice it to say, this new recording from Leipzig stands as a solid, safe choice, with no faddishness, bad soloists, or strange conductor mannerisms (except for an unnecessary, gratuitous pause just before the final chord). The only thing missing is the more pointed expression and scintillating power of some other versions on disc, from Marriner/ASMF (still my favorite Süssmayr/modern-instrument recording) to Pearlman/Boston Baroque (the Levin edition, with period instruments), or Herreweghe (Süssmayr, with period instruments). I also feel that in general the brisker tempos detract from the movements where more solemnity and weight is required. However, the keenly-drawn phrasing and careful diction, along with a more modestly-proportioned orchestra, brings an intimacy to the work that we usually don’t experience.
I wasn’t moved by this Requiem in the way that other performances have done, but then, this work isn’t even entirely by Mozart, and it’s not the cohesive, unified composition that his genius inevitably would have created–so whatever power it has to affect us has less to do with Mozart and more to do with other variables, such as mentioned above. In other words, many listeners may find just what they’re looking for here–and overall it’s hard to fault this for its solid, middle-of-the-road point of view. But it’s equally difficult to include this Requiem among the top reference versions. (I did appreciate that, unlike nearly every other recording, the track listings indicated which movements are by Mozart and which are not, saving the listener from having to wade through pages of liner notes to possibly find out.)
The fillers are two Offertories Mozart wrote as a teenager (when he was 15 and 19), and they are not particularly memorable–although the later one is significantly more sophisticated and shows an impressive command of contrapuntal style.
