Search - Haydn, Mozart, St. Clement Concert Choir and Orchestra :: Mozart: Requiem; Ave Verum

Excellent debut for world class Chicago chorus

J. Beiler | 12/09/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the recording debut of the Saint Clement Choir. The Saint Clement Choir has a distinguished history of presenting some of the world's greatest musical works in performances that have been consistently hailed for their precision and vigor as well as their musical maturity. The choir brings this same level of musicianship to its singing of the great choral treasures of the Church -- from Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony through the most contemporary repertoire of the new millenium. After completing this recording in 1994, the choir performed for Pope John Paul II at Saint Peter's in Rome by special invitation of the Vatican. While in Italy, the choir also performed at Saint Mark's Basilica in Venice, the Duomo in Florence, the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, and the Churches of San Clemente and Saint Ignatius in Rome. Most recently, the choir toured the great cathedrals and monuments of France, with performances at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the Church of St-Sulpice in Paris, Chartes Cathedral, Mont-St-Michel Abbey in Normandy, and the Basilica of St-Serin in Toulouse for the highly prestigious Toulouse International Organ Festival 1999.This recording of Mozart's Requiem is featured in 1998's critically acclaimed film "Happiness""

Excellent overall

J. Beiler | Haddonfield, NJ | 01/14/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This recording is welcome because it refrains from the usual ultra-romantic performance style which tends to contaminate the Requiem in particular. I like the pure sound (no vibrato) of the chorus and orchestra, and I am very happy with the generally brisk tempi, which I much prefer to the slow, Wagnerian tempi with which the Requiem is usually saddled. I wish the soloists would also sing without vibrato, or at least not so much of it. I find Patrice Michaels' voice uniformly beautiful with impeccable pitch; I do not admire the other soloists as much. I do however recommend the recording, which is well worth the modest price that it is selling for."