Rating: 
Summary: Too fast
Review: Mozart's Requiem is possibly my absolute favorite piece of music. If there is a God, He/She/It is to be found here. I give this DVD four stars because the Karl Bohm 1971 recording is my favorite, and this markedly differs from that. Conductor Claudio Abbado takes what seems to me to be a rushed approach. The Requiem here is very fast with too much staccato, in my opinion. I admit that this is probably because I'm used to Bohm's slower, more fluid version. Moreover, this performance lacks some of the grandeur of the Bohm recording. It appears that Abbado doesn't use a full orchestra, while it most definitely sounds like Bohm does. If I'm correct that Abbado here doesn't use a full orchestra, it must be because of the spatial constraints of the cathedral in which it is performed. However, the setting of the performance in this Salzburg cathedral somewhat makes up for some of the deficiencies I've mentioned. On the whole, as the consensus seems to be that the other DVD versions of this Requiem are inferior to this one, this particular version is well worth buying. I just wish Bohm's version had been filmed as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Both sight and sound disappoint
Review: Organized in observance of the tenth anniversary of the death of Karajan, this concert of Mozart's Requiem in the cathedral of Salzburg is performed by the Berliner Philharmonik and Swedish Radio Choir conducted by Claudio Abbado. I found it a profound disappointment.
Abaddo drives the ensemble far too fast, and the result is a deliriously-paced performance lacking in any sense of sanctity or gravitas. My favourite performance of the Requiem is that by Das Neue Orchester and Chorus Musicus Koeln under Christoph Spering, and while I understand that not all conductors are willing to keep the work as slowly paced as Spering, there's no excuse for the rushed handling of Abbado.
The concert is rounded out with two arias, "Betrachte dies mien Herz un Frage Mich" and "Laudate Dominum" performed by Rachel Harnisch. While pretty, they add little to the DVD.
The visuals of the DVD are mixed. The cathedral is a wonderful work of architecture, and the camera is often placed on its superb art. However, the shots of the orchestra and choir are not so pleasant. One of the choir members has ridiculous waxed moustaches that Salvador Dali could only envy, while some of the female performers are inappropriately dressed for a church. While the important thing is, of course, the music, the poor visuals of the DVD only spoil any enjoyment of the sound.
All in all, I would not recommend this DVD. The Requiem is, of course, a wonderful piece of music, but there are better performances out there. Try the aforementioned disc conducted by Spering.
Rating: 
Summary: very nice performance
Review: Should some people get misled and actually think that this is a Karajan performance, they will still not be disappointed in what Claudio Abbado has to offer. The concert was held on the tenth anniversay of Herbert von Karajan's death in the Salzburg cathedral. Abbado leads a superb performance of the Mozart Requiem, and among the soloists especially Bryn Terfel shines. The Mozart Requiem is probably my alltime favorite requiem, and Abbado gives a very sensitive, yet dynamic, forceful and very memorable interpretation. If you are into comparative listening, this is a version you should not miss. The sound and video quality of this DVD are outstanding, and as we follow the concert, the camera wanders around in the cathedral and offers some wonderful detail views of the beautiful art that the church has to offer. The performance is shot in widescreen format and uses it to its best. The video is part of a series offered by Arthaus and the Berlin Philharmonic, and the overall very high production quality make us want to see a lot more like this in the future
Rating: 
Summary: Tight, precise performance but lacking in passion
Review: The requiem is performed using a relatively small choir --- more a chamber choir. If you are looking for a huge, grand performance this is NOT the one to get. The recorded sound is excellent.As far as the visuals are concerned, Abbado is rather cool and emotionless. The DVD is absolutely lacking in any bonuses what so ever. Multiple view feature is most useful in orchestral pieces but is not used. The production does not take advantage of the possibility of the medium. Classical DVD music productions by comparison to Movie DVD's are meagre and this production is no exception. It is far cheaper (especially in this case of the rather expensive ARTHAUS production) to buy the CD performance on Deutsche Grammophon,since the visuals are not that interesting anyway.
Rating:
Summary: This is the MEMORIAL CONCERT OF H.V. KARAJAN
Review: This is the MEMORIAL CONCERT of HERBERT VON KARAJAN With the Berliner Philharmoniker realized LIVE FROM SALZBURG CATHEDRAL ON 16/JULY/1999. The director is: Claudio Abbado. The Video is HI-QUALITY, excellent!!! and the Sound is in PCM and DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1. The Sound Recorder is EXCELLLENT too. Don't doubt it, BUY IT.
|
