Wiener Philharmoniker, Nikolaus Harnoncourt - Verdi: Requiem (2010) Hi-Res

In the interest of delivering a historically informed performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem, and in fairness to the composer's often misunderstood wishes, Nikolaus Harnoncourt has taken pains to study the history of the work and follow the autograph score to make this live 2004 recording as authentic as possible. Through the use of appropriate instrumentation, the elimination of unnecessary portamento, a thorough rethinking of Verdi's use of dynamics, a reduction of the chorus to four voices per part where explicitly indicated, and observation of the original break between the Dies Irae and the Offertorium, Harnoncourt presents a version of the Requiem trimmed of "operatic" accretions and late-Romantic excesses, and restores the work to its intended state as sacred church music. Harnoncourt, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Arnold Schoenberg Choir are meticulous, reverent, and restrained for the most part, yet impressive where required, particularly in the thundering passages of the Dies Irae; and soprano Eva Mei, mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink, tenor Michael Schade, and bass Ildebrando d'Arcangelo, while still powerful in effect, sing with accuracy and take few expressive liberties. This hybrid SACD offers exceptionally clear and vibrant sound quality, and the dimensions of the multichannel recording are quite realistic.