Gergiev: Verdi – Requiem (DVD-A)

Performer: Ildebrando D’Arcangelo, Olga Borodina, Renée Fleming, Andrea Bocelli
Orchestra: St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra
Conductor: Valery Gergiev
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
DVD Audio
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Philips
Size: 6.43 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

01. Messa da Requiem: I. Requiem/II. Dies Irae
02. Messa da Requiem: Dies Irae
03. Messa da Requiem: Tuba Mirum
04. Messa da Requiem: Liber Scriptus
05. Messa da Requiem: Quid Sum Miser
06. Messa da Requiem: Rex Tremendae Majestatis
07. Messa da Requiem: Recordare
08. Messa da Requiem: Ingemisco
09. Messa da Requiem: Confutatis
10. Messa da Requiem: Lacrimosa
11. Messa da Requiem: III. Offertorio
12. Messa da Requiem: IV. Sanctus
13. Messa da Requiem: V. Agnus Dei
14. Messa da Requiem: VI. Lux Aeterna
15. Messa da Requiem: VII. Libera Me

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 1. Requiem
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
with Olga Borodina, Renee Fleming, Andrea Bocelli, Ildebrando D’Arcangelo
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 2. Dies irae. Dies irae
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 2. Dies irae. Tuba mirum
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
with Ildebrando D’Arcangelo
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 2. Dies irae. Liber scriptus
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
with Olga Borodina
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 2. Dies irae. Quid sum miser
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
with Olga Borodina, Renee Fleming, Andrea Bocelli
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 2. Dies irae. Rex tremendae majestatis
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
with Olga Borodina, Renee Fleming, Andrea Bocelli, Ildebrando D’Arcangelo
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 2. Dies irae. Recordare
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
with Olga Borodina, Renee Fleming
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 2. Dies irae. Ingemisco
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
with Andrea Bocelli
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 2. Dies irae. Confutatis
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
with Ildebrando D’Arcangelo
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 2. Dies irae. Lacrimosa
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
with Olga Borodina, Renee Fleming, Andrea Bocelli, Ildebrando D’Arcangelo
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 3. Offertorio
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
with Olga Borodina, Renee Fleming, Andrea Bocelli, Ildebrando D’Arcangelo
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 4. Sanctus
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 5. Agnus Dei
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
with Olga Borodina, Renee Fleming
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 6. Lux aeterna
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
with Olga Borodina, Andrea Bocelli, Ildebrando D’Arcangelo
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

# Requiem Mass, for soloists, chorus & orchestra (Manzoni Requiem) 7. Libera me
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Performed by Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra
with Renee Fleming
Conducted by Valery Gergiev

All on one CD

Nothing to add to the other 5-star reviews, the plus being that Decca got it all on one CD, so one can now listen to it from beginning to end without having to change CDs. My player displays a total time of 81:31, and plays it flawlessly. It’s bare bones, with a 4-page booklet. Inside left lists the movements and musicians, inside right has ads for other CDs in this series, the back has a brief paragraph in German only. If desired, a libretto can be found easily enough somewhere on the internet.

An experience you will never forget!

This is a legendary performance of Verdi`s masterpiece and his greatest opera (I know is a mass for the dead). This is not a church performance but a full blooded performance with a degree of commitment seldom, if ever, seen today. The Des Irae is an avalanche that sweeps all and you can hear Toscanini shouting in the climax of this section which adds to the experience The soloist are as intense as the orchestra and overall this is not a performance you can easily forget. I heard it in its entirety and I use to own it in a horribly compressed vinyl LP. This is the master tape and the recording is an overwhelming experience for me as it will be for you. BUY THIS, YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

Excellent!

I know, you shouldn’t comment on other reviews, but this first review is just wrong. You can’t buy a DVD-Audio and expect it to play on a CD player! The DVD plays on my DVD player and on my DVD-Audio player without problems. (Only the menu navigation might need getting used to.) Having fixed-images while the music is playing is, of course, standard for DVD-Audios. It is amusing to see my prejudices about purchasers of Bose-products being confirmed: The more brand-conscious, the less competent.

Speaking about the product itself: This recording of Verdi’s Requiem is one of the best I know. The division of the surround sound between the speakers is well balanced, and the sound itself is flawless. As usual for Gergiev, the interpretation is very energetic, even aggressive, but also very sensitive during the more lyrical passages. Especially I enjoyed the “Tuba mirum.” Among the soloists only Andrea Bocelli doesn’t seem to up to the demands of the dramatic pieces; he is more at home at the lyrical passages.
Conclusion: Everybody who loves Verdi’s music or Gergiev’s style of conducting will enjoy this recording!