3 used & new from £26.95
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Berlioz: Requiem; Mort de Cléopâtre; Roméo et Juliette (Excerpts)
 
 
Share your own customer images

Berlioz: Requiem; Mort de Cléopâtre; Roméo et Juliette (Excerpts) [Import]

~ Hector Berlioz (Composer), Leonard Bernstein (Conductor), New York Philharmonic (Ensemble, Orchestra), Jennie Tourel (Mezzo Soprano), Orchestre National d'Ile de France (Orchestra), et al.
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Available from these sellers.


1 new from £26.95 2 used from £34.29

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   Hector Berlioz opens new browser window
ChappellOfBondStreet.co.uk/Est1811  -  Buy 1000s of music titles online. Find fast, buy fast, deliver fast. 
  
 

Product details

  • Orchestra: New York Philharmonic, Orchestre National d'Ile de France, Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
  • Composer: Hector Berlioz
  • Audio CD (28 Jul 1992)
  • SPARS Code: ADD
  • Number of Discs: 2
  • Format: Import
  • Label: Sony
  • ASIN: B0000027LZ
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 629,704 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Disc: 1
1. Requiem, Op. 5: I. Requiem et Kyrie - Introitus. Andante un poco lento
2. Requiem, Op. 5: II. Dies Irae - Moderato
3. Requiem, Op. 5: II. Dies Irae - Andante maestoso (tuba mirum).
4. Requiem, Op. 5: III. Quid Sum Miser - Andante un poco lento
5. Requiem, Op. 5: IV. Rex Tremendae - Andante maestoso
6. Requiem, Op. 5: V. Quaerens Me - Andante sostenuto
7. Requiem, Op. 5: VI. Lacrymosa - Andante non troppo lento
8. Requiem, Op. 5: VII. Offertorium - Moderato
9. Requiem, Op. 5: VIII. Hostias - Andante non troppo lento
10. Requiem, Op. 5: IX. Sanctus - Andante un poso sostenuto e maestoso
Disc: 2
1. Requiem, Op. 5: X. Agnus Dei - Andante un poco lento
2. La Mort de Cleopatre: Allegro vivace con impeto
3. La Mort de Cleopatre: Recitativo: C'en est donc dait! - Moderato
4. La Mort de Cleopatre: Lento cantabile - Ah! qu'ils sont loin ces jours
5. La Mort de Cleopatre: Recitativo: Au comble des revers - Moderato
6. La Mort de Cleopatre: Meditation: Largo misterioso - Grands Pharaons
7. La Mort de Cleopatre: Allegro assai agitato - Non!...non, de vous demeures
8. La Mort de Cleopatre: Allegro non troppo - Recitativo misurato - Dieuz de Nil
9. Romeo et Juliette - Dramatic Symphony, Op. 17: Second Part: Romeo Alone, etc... Andante malinconico e sostenuto
10. Romeo et Juliette - Dramatic Symphony, Op. 17: Second Part: Romeo Alone - Allegro - Larghetto espressivo.
See all 15 tracks on this disc

Product Description

From Amazon.com

Berlioz' Requiem needs a performance of spontaneous brilliance and almost manic intensity to come off. The reason is simple. The big movements--the Dies Irae sequence and Lachrymosa--use a huge chorus and a full orchestra including four brass bands (stationed in the four corners of the concert hall), eight sets of timpani (10 players), and additional percussion. After that, everything else sounds anti-climatic, unless the conductor somehow manages to keep the tension flowing through the quiet (and, let's not kid ourselves, dull) bits. Leonard Bernstein certainly manages the impossible, though God only knows how he does it. The recording helps--it really captures a sense of large forces in a big space, while projecting the aura of mystery that the intimate moments need if they're going to work. --David Hurwitz

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
classical music
berlioz
shakespeare in music
shakespeare - tragedies
shakespeare
romeo and juliet
requiem
masterclass theater
magic carpet ride
elizabethan and jacobean drama
crime and punishment

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

1 Review
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5.0 out of 5 stars Shock and awe, 10 Oct 2009
By rjmcr "rjmcr" (manchester, uk) - See all my reviews
This underrated recording has drifted in and out of Sony's back catalogue several times over the years, achieving an almost cult following in some circles. If you can find an affordable copy, it's well worth a listen.

When this recording was made, in 1975, Bernstein was very much the jet-setting superstar conductor, frequently popping up in Europe's major musical centres to conduct, record and often film concerts of monumental choral works such as the Missa Solemnis, the Verdi Requiem, Mahler's Eighth symphony and the work heard here. The recording technology of the time didn't always match Bernstein's vision and ambition and, truth be told, this recording isn't perfect. If you search for "Bernstein Berlioz Requiem" on YouTube (the live concert is there in full) then you'll see why, and why I think you should forgive its imperfection.

Bernstein chose to perform and record the work live in the church of Les Invalides in Paris, the location of the work's premiere in 1837. As a performance setting, it is spectacular; as a recording venue, it is a nightmare of cavernous reverberation. To compound the problem, Bernstein follows Berlioz's wishes of expanding both the chorus and orchestra to fill whatever space is available. The result is a vast orchestra and chorus in a vast acoustic and proves to be this recording's greatest strength and its Achilles heel.

To accommodate the immense tuttis, the quieter passages are rather recessed. You'll be turning up your hi-fi to hear them but you'd better keep your remote control at hand for the Tuba Mirum and Lacrymosa or else wait until all of your neighbours are out!

But if you can compromise on a need for audio perfection, you'll be rewarded with an extraordinary performance of this extraordinary work. The quieter passages are properly devout and prayerful with some beautiful choral singing and sympathetic accompaniment from Bernstein and his orchestra, while the huge forces give him the opportunity to unleash all hell in the Tuba Mirum which, of course, he does to overwhelming effect! The Lacrymosa also has a breathtaking power and magisterial sweep to it, underpinned by some really thrilling orchestral surges, while Stuart Burrows' sensitive solo crowns a beautiful and charming rendition of the Sanctus.

For forty-odd years, the benchmark in this work has been Colin Davis' LSO account on Philips. While admiring it musically, it's always disappointed me as a performance and the chorus sounds too small and too close. The most recent recording (by Dutoit in Montreal) benefits from exceptional sound quality but never once catches fire. By putting himself in Berlioz's shoes, Bernstein comes closest to realising the composer's vision of a work "awesome in its grandeur" and is therefore worthy of a 5-star rating and my recommendation.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject




i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.