Verdi: Requiem
Margaret Price (soprano), Livia Budai (mezzo soprano), Giuseppe Giacomini (tenor) & Robert Lloyd (bass)
London Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir, Jesús López-Cobos
The heroes are the London Philharmonic Choir members: trained by Richard Cooke, they are gloriously full-toned in loud passages and capable of the merest whisper without losing pitch. The orchestra,...
Verdi: Requiem
Margaret Price (soprano), Livia Budai (mezzo soprano), Giuseppe Giacomini (tenor) & Robert Lloyd (bass)
London Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir, Jesús López-Cobos
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The heroes are the London Philharmonic Choir members: trained by Richard Cooke, they are gloriously full-toned in loud passages and capable of the merest whisper without losing pitch. The orchestra,...
About
Verdi’s Requiem is a work of white-hot dramatic intensity, infused with his lifetime of composing opera. His approach to religion is explosive, emotional, and full of temperament and fear, the latter being wonderfully conveyed by López-Cobos in this concert performance.
All forces give thrilling performances and the electrifying Dies Irae is a barnstorming triumph. The quartet of soloists delivers moments of calm prayer, for example the exquisite Recordare for soprano & mezzo duet, though all in all this is music to lift the spirit and raise the pulse.
The Orchestra is equal to the task with ravishing orchestral playing. The brass playing for the introduction to the Tuba mirum is expressive beyond words managing to maintain a beautiful tone while effecting a wonderful crescendo; and in the opening bars of the Liber scriptus the unity in the string playing is rarely heard as good as here on studio recordings let alone a live concert recording.
This recording was made mid-way through Jesús López-Cobos’ tenure as Principal Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (1981-1986).
Given Jesús López-Cobos’ opera heritage his instinct and approach here sets the bar by which other recordings will be judged.
Stellar quartet of soloists headed by Dame Margaret Price.
Recordings of Verdi’s Requiem number the 100s. This release follows the highly acclaimed and awarded release from 2009 from Pappano on EMI. In perspective this recording compares very favourably to Colin Davis’ recent LSO live offering.
Contents and tracklist
Awards and reviews
November 2010
The heroes are the London Philharmonic Choir members: trained by Richard Cooke, they are gloriously full-toned in loud passages and capable of the merest whisper without losing pitch. The orchestra, too, is mightily impressive...Margaret Price soars effortlessly in the final 'Requiem'.
Awards Issue 2010
...one of those performances which achieves memorability through the happy conjunction of its several parts...Both orchestra and choir acquit themselves with distinction and the soloists work well, both individually and as a team. The two British singers Margaret Price and Robert Lloyd are in exceptional form.
September 2010
[Price's] gleaming purity of tone in the upper register produces some treasurable moments, not just when soaring over the rest of the forces to nail peaks of dramatic intensity but also as a formidable linchpin with the emotional landscape of ensembles...The chorus, a thrillingly responsive and alert corporate body, encompasses power and sensitivity
5th September 2010
Price’s gleaming, angelic tone is ravishing...Her colleagues, including Giuseppe Giacomini, would be luxury casting today. Jesus Lopez-Cobos conducts a splendidly dramatic account of the score and the LPO Choir raise the roof.
