BaL 2.07.16 - Fauré: Requiem

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930
Building a Library: Richard Morrison compares recordings of Fauré’s perennially popular Requiem in D minor, Op. 48. It was first performed in 1888 in La Madeleine in Paris, and of it the composer said “Everything I managed to entertain by way of religious illusion I put into my Requiem, which moreover is dominated from beginning to end by a very human feeling of faith in eternal rest."

Available versions:-


Suzanne Danco, Gérard Souzay, L’Union Chorale de la Tour de Peilz, L’Orchestre de la Suisse, Ernest Ansermet

Chiyuki Okamura, David Wilson-Johnson, Schleswig-Holstein Festival Choir & Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Rolf Beck

Mary Seers (soprano), Isabelle Poulenard, Michael George, Corydon Singers & English Chamber Orchestra, Matthew Best

Indianapolis Festival Orchestra, Indianapolis Men and Boys Choir, Frederick Burgomaster (download)

Escolania del Escorial, Real Capilla Escurialense, Javier M Carmena (download)

Margaret Price, Alan Titus, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra & Philharmonischer Chor München, Sergiu Celibidache

Elin Manahan Thomas, Roderick Williams, The Sixteen & Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Harry Christophers

Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo), Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone)

Orchestra & Chorus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Myung-Whun Chung

Tom Pickard, Gerald Finley, Choir of King’s College Cambridge & Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Stephen Cleobury

Victoria de los Angeles, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, André Cluytens

Martha Angelici, Louis Noguéra, Les Chanteurs de Saint-Eustache, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, André Cluytens

Peter Harvey, Ana Quintans, Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne & Sinfonia Varsovia, Michel Corboz

Lucia Popp, Siegmund Nimsgern, Ambrosian Singers, Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis

Lucia Popp, Simon Estes, Rundfunkchor Leipzig, Staatskapelle Dresden, Sir Colin Davis

Sunhae Im, Konrad Jarnot, Münchner Kammerorchester, Chor des Bayerisches Rundfunks, Peter Dijkstra

Kiri Te Kanawa & Sherrill Milnes, Le Choeur et L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Charles Dutoit

Sandrine Piau, Stéphane Degout, Accentus & Members of Orchestre National de France, Laurence Equilbey

Romana Pavkova, Vladimir Chmelo, Prague Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic Choir, Brno, Petr Fiala

Pierrette Alarie, Camille Maurane, Chœurs Elisabeth Brasseur & Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux, Jean Fournet

Elly Ameling, Bernhard Kruysen, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Fournet

Norma Burrowes, Brian Rayner-Cook, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Louis Frémaux (download)

Gilles Cachemaille, Catherine Bott, Monteverdi Choir, Salisbury Cathedral Boy Choristers, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, John Eliot Gardiner (download)

Furio Zanasi, Vojtech Dyk, Bohemia Chamber Philharmonic, Pueri Gaudentes

Kathleen Battle, Andreas Schmidt, Philharmonia Chorus & Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini

Jonathan Bond, Benjamin Luxon, Choir of St John’s College Cambridge, George Guest

Agnès Mellon, Peter Kooy, La Chapelle Royale & Ensemble Musique Oblique, Philippe Herreweghe

Stephan Genz, Johannette Zomer, La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent, Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, Philippe Herreweghe

Aled Jones, Stephen Roberts, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, Richard Hickox

Choir of New College Oxford & Capricorn, Edward Higginbottom

Nancy Argenta, Simon Keenlyside, Bournemouth Sinfonietta & Winchester Cathedral Choir, David Hill

Westminster Cathedral Choir, David Hill

Matthias Goerne (baritone) & Philippe Jaroussky, Matthias Goerne (baritone) & Philippe Jaroussky

Reiss, Matthias Goerne, Choir of the Orchestre de Paris & Orchestre de Paris, Paavo Järvi (DVD/Blu-ray)

Lausanne Pro Arte Chorus & Suisse Romande Chamber Choir, Suisse Romande Orchestra, Armin Jordan

Arleen Augér & Benjamin Luxon, Choir of King’s College, Cambridge & English Chamber Orchestra, Sir Philip Ledger (download)

Ilona Domnich, Johnny Herford, Orchestra of St. John’s & OSJ Voices, John Lubbock

Miah Persson (soprano), Malena Ernman, Olle Persson, Swedish Radio Choir, Fredrik Malmberg

Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, Richard Marlow

Sylvia McNair, Sir Thomas Allen, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chorus, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner

Adele Addison, Donald Graham, Radcliffe Choral Society & Harvard Glee Club, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch

Flemish Radio Choir, Hervé Niquet

Donald Thompson, Roland Wood, Choir of St Mary’s Cathedral Edinburgh, Orchestra of St Mary’s Music School, Matthew Owens

Barbara Bonney, Håkan Hagegård, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa

Barbara Hendricks, José van Dam, Orfeon Donostiarra, Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Michel Plasson (download)

Caroline Ashton, Stephen Varcoe, Cambridge Singers & Members of the City of London Sinfonia, John Rutter

Judith Blegen, James Morris, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Robert Shaw

Grace Davidson, William Gaunt, Tenebrae, London Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble, Nigel Short

Christiane Oelze, Harry Peeters, Netherlands Chamber Choir, Limburg Symphony Orchestra Maastricht, Ed Spanjaard

Signe Hyldgard, Martin Palsmar, Cecilia Choir, Frederik Magle (organ), Gunnar Svensson

Lisa Beckley, Nicholas Gedge, Colm Carey, Schola Cantorum of Oxford, Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly

Lisa Beckley, Nicholas Gedge, Colm Carey, Schola Cantorum of Oxford, Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly (DVD)

Isolde Siebert, Carola Maurer, Ulf Bästlein, Camerata Vocale Freiburg & Camerata Freiburg, Winfried Toll

City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, BBC Philharmonic, Yan Pascal Tortelier

Sara Macliver, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Sinfonia Australis, Anthony Walker (download)

Robert Chilcott, John Carol Case, & John Wells, Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir David Willcocks

Kyoko Ito, Norio Ohga, Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra & Choir, Kazuo Yamada (download)

[Nick Armstrong]

The Accentus recording under Laurence Equilbey for me, by a mile in all but one of the movements. Stéphane Degout is a great soloist, but it's the choral singing, and balance with the orchestra and organ which I find sublime. The children of the Maitrise de Paris join in for the Sanctus and In Paradisum - and above (or perhaps, beneath) all, I love the tone and presence of the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Basilique Sainte-Clotilde where the recording was made.

However, I don't like Sandrine Piau in the Pié Jesu - for that movement, I tend to interpose the faultless treble voice of Richard Eteson with KCC under Cleobury - not the recent one listed, but the 2005 recording which appears to be readily available in CD and download format and should perhaps join the list...

[Barbirollians]

Cluytens with de Los Angeles and DFD for me.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

My first experience of this work was the Ansermet recording with Danco and Souzay. I still love it, even though at the time I bought the Willcocks recording, featuring Sir David's Carols for Choirs successor.

But the version I listen to most often is the Frémaux - simply perfect - and I still have it on a real solid CD.

[ardcarp]

However, I don't like Sandrine Piau in the Pié Jesu -

I haven't heard that. But if she's a wobbly soprano then, no. But it doesn't have to be a treble. There are many women with fine straight voices that can and do sing the Pie Jesu very beautifully.

As a student I sang Faure's Requiem (in the choir) under the baton of Nadia Boulanger; and her speeds were IMO perfect; and of course had some authority.

[martin_opera]

The Naxos Summerly recording was my introduction to this piece and despite hearing some dozen others it remains unsurpassed IMO - wonderful simplicity of concept and playing.

[LeMartinPecheur]

My first experience of this work was the Ansermet recording with Danco and Souzay. I still love it, even though at the time I bought the Willcocks recording, featuring Sir David's Carols for Choirs successor.

But the version I listen to most often is the Frémaux - simply perfect - and I still have it on a real solid CD.

Nice to see in your listing EA that John Ogdon, no less, provides the piano continuo

[ardcarp]

There are differently orchestrated versions...indeed there were (I think) three versions of the work itself from the pen of Faure, and maybe more from his pupils. The reviewer will no doubt explore all this. I personally like the trad Hamelle vocal score and the parts that go with it. In particular I like the sonority of four horns, which once heard, cannot be axed IMVVHO. In addition to hiring full strings, 4 horns and a harp...oh, and an organist...one theoretically also needs flutes, clarinets, bassoons and trumpets But again IMVVVVHO, one can bin the woodwind and trumpets (which actually add very little). As the violins sit around doing almost nothing except in the Sanctus, it is tempting to go for the solo violin version...but to me that just sounds weedy after hearing a full desk play that wonderful counter-melody.

So to sum up, it is (IMVVVVVHO) perfectly possible to get a very satisfactory sound from full strings (loads of violas, of course), harp, organ and 4 horns...but no woodwind. (There are a few textual errors in the Hamelle parts, but those are easily put right.)

If asked to accompany the Requiem on organ alone, I find the Hamelle vocal score much easier to play from. The Oxford/Rutter version, whilst very complete, does introduce extra staves for some important instrumental lines, making life rather hard for those of us with the normal complement of two hands and two feet.

Sorry if that's TMI.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Nice to see in your listing EA that John Ogdon, no less, provides the piano continuo

Oh dear; I know how that got there. He is elsewhere on the CD, and on the download too.

[greenilex]

Never TMI.

I use the Board to learn from the professionals, and enjoy it greatly. Thank you.

[Pulcinella]

My first experience of this work was the Ansermet recording with Danco and Souzay. I still love it, even though at the time I bought the Willcocks recording, featuring Sir David's Carols for Choirs successor.

But the version I listen to most often is the Frémaux - simply perfect - and I still have it on a real solid CD.

Presumably you mean Bob Chilcott here, Alpie, but the CfC 'successor' (or at least the 'co-author' with Willcocks after volume 1, who was Reginald Jacques) was John Rutter, who, as ardcarp has pointed out, has produced his own edition for OUP.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Presumably you mean Bob Chilcott here, Alpie, but the CfC 'successor' (or at least the 'co-author' with Willcocks after volume 1, who was Reginald Jacques) was John Rutter, who, as ardcarp has pointed out, has produced his own edition for OUP.

Well, yes. I was meaning BC was the one who replaced Sir David as the first-named editor of CfC 5. John Rutter replaced RJ as co-editor in CfC 2. (Is this one for "Pedants' Paradise"? )

[Pulcinella]

(Is this one for "Pedants' Paradise"? )

Undoubtedly!
I have only the first three volumes.


I remember playing the organ in a church choir performance just with organ and piano.
Sadly, the pianist got a semiquaver out in the In paradisum, and started his sets of three on the beat rather than a semiquaver after the beat. It was an interesting effect!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The Naxos Summerly recording was my introduction to this piece and despite hearing some dozen others it remains unsurpassed IMO - wonderful simplicity of concept and playing.

- a favourite (might even be "the favourite") of mine, too.

Undoubtedly!
I have only the first three volumes.

And Pedants' Paradise runs to thirty-seven volumes (plus "Supplements"!)

I remember playing the organ in a church choir performance just with organ and piano.
Sadly, the pianist got a semiquaver out in the In paradisum, and started his sets of three on the beat rather than a semiquaver after the beat. It was an interesting effect!

Ooooh! I like it! Like trying to tap dance on an ice floe.

[BBMmk2]

Off the top of my head, I can't think for the life of me what versions I have!