Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Rudolf Kempe, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra :: Mozart: Requiem - Rudolf Kempe, Berlin Philharmonic, Choir of St. Hedwigs Cathedral

Excellent Reference Requiem

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 08/28/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"EMI continues to outshine their major label classical peers. While Sony/BMG is deleting their budget line and UNI is focusing on expensive limited edition box sets, EMI Classics new "Historical" reissues are budget-priced, in fact at half the price of their old mid-line "References" historical series. Actually, this 1955 mono account of the Mozart Requiem by Rudolf Kempe and the Berlin Philharmonic was available in that old "References" series (coupled with an enjoyable 1956 Bruckner "Te Deum" led by Karl Foster with some of the same singers and the same orchestra, which is omitted in this new reissue), and until now it was commanding outrageous prices as a collector's item. Kempe didn't record much Mozart -- a few old EMI recordings of the Symphonies have been licensed out to Testament -- but what I've encountered I've thoroughly enjoyed. Still, this disc is for those who love this great work, and want a second (third, fourth or fifth) opinion. Classic stereo accounts by Colin Davis or von Karajan, or a highly acclaimed 2004 recording by Harnoncourt if you desire digital, deserve first considerations. (On a personal note, I very much enjoy two stereo budget accounts, the EMI Seraphim title conducted by Giulini and the Universal by Kertesz -- see my review of the latter.) But as a reference recording, it's hard to overlook Kempe."