 | |
List Price: $23.98 | | Label: Philips
Salesrank: 71736
Released: March 27, 2001 |
| Our Price: $9.54 |
| Used Price: $4.17 |
|
| Media: Audio CD |
|
Editorial Review:
Verdi's Requiem demands a quartet of soloists who could be cast as leads in Aida, along with a virtuoso chorus and orchestra and a conductor who can balance the score's heaven-shaking drama with its spiritual longings. Small surprise, then, that few recordings, including this one, can fulfill all those demands. Renée Fleming's soprano is perhaps the most beautiful such instrument before the public today, and Olga Borodina's mezzo has the equivalent smoothness and texture, making for a gorgeous duet in the "Agnus Dei." Idlebrando D'Arcangelo, too, has a lovely voice, though, like so many of today's basses, it's tilted toward the top and lacks the deep black resonance that fills out the part. Andrea Bocelli? Let's just say he's no asset to the production. His fans will love him, but Verdians will be appalled. The voice is unsupported, its small size mitigated by close microphoning, and his phrasing is rudimentary. Chorus and orchestra are fine, though they lack the tonal shadings the very best bring to this music. Valery Gergiev leads a dynamic performance, ear-shattering in the "Dies Irae," reverential elsewhere. In sum, a decent Requiem that falls short of the best, including those of the stereo era led by Solti, Giulini, and Barenboim, and vintage recordings by Toscanini, de Sabata, and Serafin. --Dan Davis
Verdi - Requiem / Fleming · Borodina · Bocelli · D'Arcangelo · Gerviev Reviews:
Oh please 
2009-09-28 - Why was this recording produced? There are multiple good recordings of Verdi's Requiem, and this cannot compete with them. Gergiev's operatic tendancies do him well here, but the orchestra isn't quite up to it. The etheral, religous sections lack passion and the full roar of the orchestra is a littel anemic. For sure, Fleming and Borodina sound very good, and D'Arcangelo holds his own. The worst part of the recording is anytime Bocelli sings. He is a pop star that sings Italian, not an opera singer. His entraces are crude, his tone weak, and his contribution to the piece is zilch. There really are many other recordings that are better than this, and this version should be avoided.
One star for each of the good parts 
2009-07-17 - So yeah, one star goes to Maestro Gergiev and his orchestra. I have always loved how they play. Another star goes to Ms. Borodina and Mr. D'Arcangelo. They are wonderful in every sense. The third star, of course, goes to my star Ms. Fleming. She truly is a gem, and everything she does is fantastic. So with that said, the last two stars I must reserve. Problem #1 is the horrible balance between the choir and the orchestra. At times, it seems almost as though the choir was outside on the lawn instead of in the hall with the recording equipment. It really is a shame, as the orchestra is as glorious as ever. The other star I take away as a result of Mr. Bocelli. There is simply no excuse to consider him suitable for Verdi, especially this masterpiece. His voice takes away from the performance. How anyone convinced Gergiev or the other soloists to record with him on this is beyond me. If you're going to look for a good recording of this Requiem, my first choice is always Robert Shaw and the ASO. He always gets what he wants, and the choir really stands out. Plus he is 4 for 4 on those soloists, and the recording people get the balance beautifully.
Run away. Run far, far away 
2007-09-19 - I FINALLY got around to listening to this recording after a friend bought it out of curiosity. Oh my. I realize this was at the height of the Andrea Bocelli craze, but the Verdi Requiem? Sacrilege.
There are so many things wrong with his performance, it's hard to begin. First, the vocal quality is amateurish - he is obviously amplified. His pitch is questionable, his phrasing odd and his diction sloppy. I've heard other Bocelli recordings and even his Italian is bad!
Renee Fleming, as always, is magnificent. The other singers are adequate, as is the orchestra. Nothing inspiring.
In short, it sounds like a high school student won a contest to sing with the big kids.
let ME sing that
2007-03-09 - I always loved to sing at school, in the choir and .... also while taking a shower. I have a tenor voice and can hit the right notes with a probability of 98%. I have never had any lessons but I AM SURE I WOULD NOT SOUND WORSE THAN MR. BOCELLI!
Stay away, this recording is RIDICULOUS.
It Could Have Been Sublime
2006-09-13 - What, one must ask ones self, is Andrea Bocelli doing in this ensemble? What could have been the definative recording is flawed. How very, very sad.
