Messa da Requiem von Giuseppe Verdi

This is the best performance of the Requiem that I have ever heard ; I do not expect to find its equal during my lifetime.

Von Karajan, a perfectionist of ferocious repute, liked to run a very tight ship. Here too the performance is planned, regulated, ordered, supervised and controlled to within an inch of its life. It is a testament to the genius of van Karajan that the music does not die, but springs into rich and vibrant life instead. This Requiem does all, and more, that the Requiem is supposed to do - it dazzles, it astounds, it moves, it charms, it chills, it transports, it examines crucial moral and intellectual questions - and it does so at a level most other executions can only dream of.

In short : this comes as close to perfection as is humanly possible.

All four of the soloists bring their own unique qualities and characteristics to the table : Ghiaurov sings like a melancholy angel, while Pavarotti contributes a warm humanity, Price an imperial dignity and Cossotto a deep, ringing conviction.

It's almost an act of vandalism to pick out a favorite from among such an abundance of talent, but still : I prefer Cossotto. Her combination of clarity and conviction turns her into someone who is speaking of things which are (or will become) absolutely certain and true. (Think, for example, of a judge saying "You will be taken to your cell ; and there you will remain until the day the executioner will lead you to the gallows" or of a doctor saying "Now that the victim has ingested so much cyanide, he is beyond medical help".) It is at times deeply unsettling, as if listening to a prophetess - perhaps the "Sybil" of which the text speaks ? Or, even more dreadful, as if listening to someone who has actually returned from the dead.

Buy, borrow, steal or beg a copy of this masterwork ; if necessary, throw in a few months' pay. The "Liber scriptus", "Ingemisco" and "Mors stupebit" alone are worth the effort.