Mozart: Requiem Realisations
Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano), Christine Rice (mezzo), James Gilchrist (tenor), Christopher Purves (bass)
The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, Academy of Ancient Music, Stephen Cleobury
The standard of the performance is high, so long as you want a liturgical version, one that might be used at a service...This is an educative set, and it is interesting to listen to the alternative...
Mozart: Requiem Realisations
Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano), Christine Rice (mezzo), James Gilchrist (tenor), Christopher Purves (bass)
The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, Academy of Ancient Music, Stephen Cleobury
Purchase product
The standard of the performance is high, so long as you want a liturgical version, one that might be used at a service...This is an educative set, and it is interesting to listen to the alternative...
About
1SACD & 1CD
The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge under conductor Stephen Cleobury presents a compelling second release. Here it performs Mozart Requiem (Süssmayr edition), followed by complete movement realisations by leading composers and musicologists including Michael Finnissy, Robert D. Levin and Duncan Druce. The recording features a stellar line up of guest soloists – Elin Manahan Thomas, Christine Rice, James Gilchrist, Christopher Purves – and the Academy of Ancient Music.
The release also features a unique bonus audio documentary about Mozart’s Requiem, narrated by Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano soloist, who recently toured with Eric Whitacre), with commentary illustrated by extracts of both the Requiem and the works that inspired it.
The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge is one of the world’s foremost choirs and unquestionably among the most widely heard. It owes its existence to King Henry VI, who envisaged the daily singing of services in his magnificent chapel. This remains the Choir’s raison d’être, and is an important part of the lives of its 16 choristers, who are educated at King’s College School, and the 14 choral scholars and two organ scholars, who study a variety of subjects in the College. The Choir has been a breeding ground for numerous professional singers, two of whom – James Gilchrist and Christopher Purves – appear as soloists on this recording.
Contents and tracklist
Spotlight on this release
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James Gilchrist talks to Presto about a new Mozart Requiem with a twist…
Awards and reviews
July 2013
The standard of the performance is high, so long as you want a liturgical version, one that might be used at a service...This is an educative set, and it is interesting to listen to the alternative versions.
July 2013
the 'Lacrimosa' from Michael Finnissy's recent realisation...truly whets the appetite for a complete recording...The Academy of Ancient Music provide solid support and choral scholars sing lustily. The boys, however, have a tendency towards sharpness
June 2013
Cleobury directs a strong, firm-handed performance, having no truck with the Romantic hindsight that has sometimes crept into performances...the famous King's chapel acoustic can sound very smooth but here has clarity and attack...This is a performance of the highest quality by any standard
15th July 2013
the 18 trebles of the King’s choir have a good cutting edge to their sound and overall they make a very good showing...Cleobury’s performance is, in the main, light on its feet.
13th April 2013
A suitably scholarly project from the Choir of King’s College...The boy trebles are slightly tuneless in places, but the singing generally has vigour, Stephen Cleobury keeps the tempos brisk and the soloists are excellent.
27th April 2013
The alternative realisations are interesting and convincing, the boldest one Michael Finnissy’s rather Romantic-sounding Lacrimosa. And Stephen Cleobury’s performance of the Süssmayr edition is pretty splendid – the boys’ voices of the Choir of King’s College brilliantly incisive, matched by astringent period orchestral forces.
