Verdi Requiem

Product Description Giuseppe Verdi, himself an honored patriotic figure, held the poet Alessandro Manzoni in the highest of esteem. The great Requiem mass, as superb and typical as any of his operas, was composed by Verdi in memory of Il Santo Don Alessandro. This live recording from the world's greatest arts festivals features Claudio Abbado, internationally acclaimed as one of the finest conductors of the day, who studied at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, conducting the London Symphony Orchestra and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus. A rare gathering of four of the world's most distinguished singers sets the scene for an unforgettable performance of one of the most dramatic Requiem Masses. Review Claudio Abbado's 1982 performance of the Verdi Requiem with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus is not, perhaps, a classic in the league of the 1963 Carlo Maria Guilini recording, but it has a steely, controlling intelligence that never stands in the way of the work's passionate and ecstatic qualities. José Carreras's tenor voice was at that point in its fullest bloom, and Ruggiero Raimondi's bass has a spine-tingling dark lyricism that reminds us that the writing for bass here has much in common with possibly his greatest role, King Philip the Second in Don Carlos. The decision to use Margaret Price and Jessye Norman as the two female soloists is an interesting one--there is less distinction of range between them than is usual, but their particularly characterful voices offer quite enough contrast. The chorus gives the climaxes of the Dies Irae everything it has and is perfectly gentle and still in quieter passages --Roz Kaveney, Amazon.co.uk