This undoubtedly was a very exciting, satisfying live performance for those in attendance at Barbican Hall last fall (2007). Certainly there is much supporting evidence captured on this sonically vivid SACD, especially the vibrant, powerful chorus and orchestra in the “big” moments (for example, the Dies irae, Rex tremendae, Confutatis, and Agnus Dei); conductor Colin Davis and all of his forces definitely succeed here in conveying the impression of a grand and formidable work. But along with the positive elements–spontaneity, collective energy, hall ambience–the recording also captures the flaws that to the audience would have been little noticed, forgotten, or simply overridden by subsequent, more affecting moments. These most commonly involve passages of slightly uncoordinated ensemble (notably the choral entrance in the very first movement) or slips of intonation (for example, the tenor’s not-quite-minor arpeggio that opens his Tuba mirum solo). It also exposes some slightly odd affectations, such as the almost comical long rolled “r” at each enunciation of the word “Rex” in the Rex tremendae and some distracting hard accents at the beginning of the Agnus Dei and elsewhere. (Unfortunately we also are privy to many instances of the conductor’s own vocalizations throughout the performance.)
The large chorus and orchestra succeed as well as in any of the better large-scale productions of this work (it’s the Süssmayr version, but no mention is made of this), but the choral textures are predictably dense and, as mentioned, there are issues of inconsistent choir/orchestra ensemble precision and textural detail that must be accommodated in return for the greater opulence. The quartet of soloists is decent if not particularly memorable. No, this is definitely not a bad performance–it’s actually a good, solid, middle-ground rendition, with well-judged tempos and knowing, theatrical flow. Listeners who like the Requiem’s big episodes to really punch out of the speakers will enjoy this. But with zillions of Mozart Requiem recordings in the catalog–and about 6 or 8 really excellent ones–any new version must have a pretty compelling reason to say “pick me”. This one just doesn’t.
