Britten: War Requiem 1962
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BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Britten: War Requiem 1962
Susan Gritton, John Mark Ainsley, Christopher Maltman / Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir, Paul McCreesh
[ Signum / 2 CD ]
Release Date: Friday 6 September 2013
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.
Following their acclaimed recordings of Berlioz' 'Grande Messe des Morts' and Mendelssohn's 'Elijah', Paul McCreesh has once again assembled the mass forces of Gabrieli Consort & Players and Wroclaw Phiharmonic Choir to record one of the iconic masterpieces of the 20th-century oratorio repertoire.
The work reflects Britten's long-held and committed pacifist beliefs. Composed to mark the consecration of a new Cathedral in Coventry, Britten combines the Latin text of the Missa pro Defunctis with nine poems by the First World War poet Wilfred Owen, which provide a moving (and frequently uncomfortable) commentary on the liturgical text.
This series has already garnered substantial critical claim and a number of prestigious awards, including a BBC Music Magazine Award for Technical Excellence and two Diapason d'Or awards.
"Essentially the same recording team has worked on this recording and on McCreesh's two preceding large-scale choral recordings and once again they have produced superb results. There's great clarity, even in the most fully scored passages, and the sound has a genuine presence. The big climaxes really pack a punch but the many quiet passages are equally well served by the engineers. As is usual with these Winged Lion/Signum recordings the presentation is first class." (MusicWeb Sept 2013)
"the transparency of the textures and the crisp outlines are a delight. You hear more of the subcutaneous detail of Britten's scoring, I think, than on any previous recording... If sometimes the performance seems a little undersized, it's still totally involving." The Guardian, 12th September 2013 ****
"thrilling in many places (notably the Dies Irae and the great outcries of the Sanctus ), and slightly muffled in others. What do emerge beautifully are the mainly consoling solo voices of Susan Gritton, John Mark Ainsley and Christopher Maltman" The Times, 7th September 2013 ****
"[McCreesh's] New College choristers have the ideal mix if celestial glow and nimble impatience; his orchestra is wonderfully articulate. And the sound picture has the greatest depth of range and recording… the profundity and coherence of McCreesh's reading sets a new standard for this work." BBC Music Magazine Awards 2014 - Choral WINNER
