Search - José van Dam, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Herbert von Karajan :: Mozart: Requiem, K.626

Perfection

Joanna Daneman | Middletown, DE USA | 10/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the age of all-digital recording with all the advancements of sound technique, and even with some of the finest singers now available as soloists, this 1975 recording still beats every other one I've heard of Mozart's Requiem.This work, so deep, impressive and so beautiful, tempts the soloists to go overboard, the chorus to boom and the orchestra (especially the brass section) to blare during the huge instrumental portions. Only the most masterful of conductors can completely reign in the exuberance and produce a crafted version of this monumental composition.I bought this because I love Von Karajan and the soloists, in particular Van Dam and Tomowa-Sintow. Von Karajan, the German precisionist, constructed a well-balanced and perfect rendition of this work. Nothing I have listened to since comes close. The soloists are top-class, but here they are not performing separate works to show off their skill. And the chorus is clean and balanced, allowing the listener to hear the work as a whole blending of orchestra, singers and soloists. If you own only one Mozart's Requiem, this has to be the one."

Von Karajan's Mozart

leeyt | Santa Clara, CA | 07/23/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Undoubtly the Requiem is one of Mozart's greatest work, so I am only commenting on this particular recording. I enjoy Karajan's Beethoven in general, but I find it difficult to listen to his Mozart work. He enlarged both the orchestra and the choir, but the balance is more favor toward the orchestra, as he did in his Beethoven symphony no 9 recordings. Resulting that you can't hear the text very well. Possibly because being a choir member myself and I sing this work many times, I am more biased toward the conventional choral recordings. The tempo of the kyrie fugue is also a bit slow, which I consider it less powerful; and the texture of the fugue is buried behind the large sound of the orchestra. For people agreeing my opinion, I recommend Marriner and St Martin in the Fields' recording, which I consider the best I've listened to."

Very Powerful and Emotional

reverend_jester | Hays, KS | 09/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having listened to many recordings, and also having had the fortune to perform this work on several occasions, I feel that this recording stands out in its clarity of text, and the relay of emotion. A Requiem, being a mass for the dead, envokes strong emotions, and Mozart, in my humble opinion, knew how to bleed emotion out of music and the performers, as well as the listener. The pain and power of this work is extremely well demonstrated in this recording, and this recording is #1 in my library......Enjoy!"