In John Eliot Gardiner’s DG War Requiem, recorded in 1992 at the Marienkirche, Lübeck, the boys’ chorus is placed at one end of the building with remaining choral and orchestral groups at the other. Distanced forces and a cavernous acoustic often rob the music of clarity and detailing (particularly where Britten’s scoring is at its densest, as in much of the “Dies Irae”). Citing extremes, the boys’ chorus is virtually inaudible in quietest passages of “Domine Jesu Christe”, where you’ll need to increase volume to hear the words clearly. Conversely, timpani salvos at the start of “Be slowly lifted up” are so loud you’ll want to reduce levels, only to raise them again once the baritone solo has begun. The over-resonant setting also affects the clarity of the lower strings, so cello and bass lines in the “Libera Me” don’t register firmly enough. Microphone placement seems to change in the “Sanctus”, where more accurate balance is achieved between soft percussion and voices at the start, and also throughout the penultimate section, “It seemed that out of battle I escaped”. This is sung very atmospherically by Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Boje Skovhus, and is the most successful episode in Gardiner’s account.
DG’s set also offers 1995 performances of Britten’s Spring Symphony and Hymn to St. Cecilia, taped at Walthamstow Town Hall, one of London’s finest recording locations. Contrast the childrens’ chorus in “The Driving Boy” (movement 4 of the symphony) with the Requiem’s “Offertory”, and the advantages of a less boomy recording venue become clearly apparent. The whistling effects come across well here, too, as does the important tuba line. Both female soloists are excellent, but John Mark Ainsley doesn’t match the subtlety (try his “When will my May come”) of Rolfe Johnson’s tenor contributions in the Requiem. On Chandos, Richard Hickox directs a splendidly engineered and eloquent performance. Of his three fine soloists, soprano Heather Harper (making her last appearance on disc), sings with memorable poise and profundity. The Chandos fillers, Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem and Ballad of Heroes also complement the War Requiem more aptly than DG’s alternatives. [4/7/2002]
