Dvorak: Requiem, Op. 89
$28.00
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ANTONIN DVORAK
Dvorak: Requiem, Op. 89
Christiane Libor (soprano) Ewa Wolak (alto) Daniel Kirch (tenor) & Janusz Monarcha (bass) / Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, Antoni Wit
[ Naxos / 2 CD ]
Release Date: Monday 10 November 2014
This item is currently out of stock. It may take 6 or more weeks to obtain from when you place your order as this is a specialist product.
Antonín Dvořák's huge popularity in England was built largely on the success of his Stabat Mater, which he had conducted there in 1884 and 1885. It was well suited to the country's choral traditions and led eventually to a commission for a Requiem, which was premièred in Birmingham in 1891. Written in ten months during tours to Russia, England and Germany, its success was immediate. Sitting closer to the tradition of Cherubini than Verdi, its tone is compassionate and reflective, devoid of unnecessary drama, and movingly crafted with great sophistication.
"In Christiane Libor we have a soprano with plenty of heft to the voice without a hint of shrillness; tenor Daniel Kirch never sounds like he's crooning; Janusz Monarcha is a real bass, with no trace of wobble anywhere in his tone, while Ewa Wolak never sounds like she'd be better off taking the contralto lead in Gilbert and Sullivan. They are marvelous both singly and as a group, particularly in the mostly solo Recordare. First class engineering makes this a wonderfully satisfying release that hopefully will win many new friends for this powerfully expressive and masterful work." (10/10 ClassicsToday Jan 2015)
"The Warsaw Philharmonic Choir are in fine collective voice...The quartet of soloists are magnificent...Orchestrally, this is a stunning performance. Perfectly blended woodwind are clearly focused on a wide-spread bed of strings. The recording is vividly engineered and everyone involved is on top form. A bargain." (Gramophone)
"The string playing is marvellous and the woodwind, so important in this work, are refined and ethereal. The choir also holds its own against the Czechs - you only need to listen to the Introitus to be convinced" MusicWeb
