Looking for good version of Faure's Requiem

Posted by: Chris Brandon on 02 July 2002

Karen came home earlier today having purchased a cd that she has wanted for some time,but never quite got around to getting. It was Faure's Requiem.

With a happy expectant face,she put it on...

Oh Dear ! - Not quite the spine-tingling musical experience she was hoping for.

Basically,she is complaning that it lacks a certain "emotional" or "involving" quality. She was looking forward to closing her eyes and "being there" or being "drawn in" to the music and performance.

(Being a woman,she wants the lot ! - High quality performance,production,musicallity Etc).

So,any recommendations on what version would get anywhere near ?

(The one she just purchased was on the Naxos label - 8.550765)

Regards

Chris
Posted on: 02 July 2002 by Cheese
Personally I love Herreweghe's account on Harmonia Mundi - excellent recording quality as usual, great choir and featuring [is that good english ?] the conductor's typical (and rare) mix of accuracy, involvement and emotion. It has to be said that Herreweghe plays the early 1893 version which had a very thin orchestration.

quote:
Basically,she is complaning that it lacks a certain "emotional" or "involving" quality
Yeah, but what the **** is "emotional" and "involving" ? Some are in heaven when they hear 50/60's pachidermic interpretations, especially of baroque music. This is obviously not the case with Herreweghe, and I admit it took me some time to like the recording - but it will be a long-lasting love.

If your girlfriend prefers something more flashy, she could try it with Ansermet on Decca - a 60's recording, but bear in mind that the Decca guys were real geniuses in the mixing room ! The sound quality could well be much better than the overhyped digital recordings of today. And of course Ansermet wasn't actually a tourist in the domain of French music.

And in general, I found that cheap labels were very much a hit-and-miss affair - these are the playground of some young brilliant musicians no-one wants to risk a penny on, but most soloists are the ones which are just not good enough for bigger labels. For more information, search for Todd Arola's comments ...

Oh, and don't forget that Fauré's Requiem cannot be considered a very easy work to listen to.

Cheese

[This message was edited by Cheese on TUESDAY 02 July 2002 at 19:20.]
Posted on: 02 July 2002 by Paul Ranson
Everytime I buy something on Naxos this has been my experience. So I wouldn't buy any more, so maybe I'm missing some good stuff.

Paul
Posted on: 02 July 2002 by herm
Naxos maybe has a few interesting artists in rarely visited corners of the repertoire the big guys won't touch. Other than that it's crap. Why get the poor man's Bruckner or Tchaikovsky?

Good recent Fauré Requiems are indeed the Herreweghe and the Gardiner.

Just get the Herreweghe and make her a happy girl.

Incidentally, I'd say the Fauré isn't too complicated stuff. Basically it's a requiem without anyone dying. It's more like: gee this could happen to you.

Herman
Posted on: 03 July 2002 by Robbie
Chris,

The one conducted by Jean Fournier with the Rotterdam philharmonic is very involving,altough it's quite old (1975).One of the first great performances of famous dutch soprano Elly Ameling.It's on the Phillips label from the silver-line series.

Rob.
Posted on: 03 July 2002 by Robbie
Chris,

The one conducted by Jean Fournier with the Rotterdam philharmonic is very involving,altough it's quite old (1975).One of the first great performances of famous dutch soprano Elly Ameling.It's on the Phillips label from the silver-line series.

Rob.
Posted on: 04 July 2002 by Chris Brandon
The Herreweghe it is then ! (seems almost unanimous in approval)

Must admit,I do like the thought of comparing the contrasting musical accounts,(sparse & fully orchestrated ).

Regards

Chris
Posted on: 04 July 2002 by Cheese
Herreweghe is addictive - once you've tasted it you'll need this and that and this and that. His last Bach St.-Matthew Passion for instance.

Sorry but I had to express it.

Cheese
Posted on: 04 July 2002 by herm
and the Mozart masses, too