I sang in the Britten War Requiem, as a schoolboy, for the centenary of the First World War. My father sang in the main choir. It was an utterly overwhelming experience. Love this video! Can’t wait to explore the Requiems I know nothing of!
The Faure is exquisite. It's so lyrical, even the Libera Me Domine is very touching. For me, the reference recording is Sir David Wilcocks and the Kings College Choir. It's literally like being in Heaven.
Cherubini’s c minor requiem was used in David Lynch’s Fire Walk with Me. This movie was how I originally became acquainted with Cherubini. Great music!
Durufle is incredible. Heard Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Choir do it this year with Runnicles conducting. The modal chording is unlike any other piece of music. And, clearly, very lyrical and melodic. Has "the French" sound you'd expect, but it's not simply a re-do of Ravel/Debussy. Durufle had a distinct voice for the 20th century. He was a perfectionist and had trouble letting pieces go and so kept writing and then re-writing. More music from him would have been welcomed I'm sure. Thanks for including this piece.
For me, an exceptional requiem where the composer personally knows what he is talking about is the requiem by Schnittke. There are many exciting moments in it, such as the climax at the end of the Tuba Mirum built with a base drum, tam-tam and... flexaton!
When it comes to Zelenka, the Dies Irae of the D Major setting (ZWV 46), is the happiest celebration of the end of the world ever... and it was composed for the King's death (Augustus I. of Saxony “Augustus the Strong“)... which is rather morbid when you think about it.
Another great list! My favorite requiem might be Schnittke’s - I love the zaniness of the Credo. I’m also partial to Silvestrov’s Requiem for Larissa (on ECM), which he wrote for his wife.
Thank you for the list! As everyone is adding something, aside from the already mentioned I'd like to add the Jommelli Requiem, which I heard on the radio some time ago and blew my mind!
Great list, David! I love the PIzzetti Requiem and Howells as well. I sang the Berlioz Requiem in Dallas with Eduardo Mata. It was overwhelming. Amazing piece. So glad you went back to Renaissance polyphony!!
A great and really funfilled list. I feel happy to add two more. One is, of course, the Polish Requiem by Penderecki, written, as so often with this composer, in bits. It is the 3rd of Penderecki's full length choral pieces (after the St. Luke Passion and Utrenja). It is late Penderecki, more in the new romantic vein, but he makes recourses to his earlier style. The other is not well known, but I like this work and it's composer. It is the Requiem by the british composer Wilfred Josephs. Josephs is very well known - but less for his interesting symphonies and much more for his film and TV-tunes: "I, Claudius", "The Prisoner" "Fanatic" a.s.o. Being jewish, he used the Kaddish for his Requiem for the jews murdered in the shoah. The work was recorded by David Measham for Unicorn and is now available on Lyrita. It's an austere, even bleak work with mostly quiet, slowly moving parts and a few dissonant outbursts. Although Joseph's other music sounds often as it would start with Britten and go further in baby steps, the Requiem has more to do with the polish avantgarde, especially the Penderecki of the St. Luke Passion in so far as Josephs, too, uses new techniques, but blends them with elements of the past.
An excellent talk! It gives a classical music enthusiast an idea how versatile of a genre are we talking about when discussing requiem masses. Your repertoire lists always offer something new and are never predictable. Zelenka is absolutely someone to check out, I don't think I've ever heard his works. And thank you for bringing Martin and Kokkonen to the limelight! Neither of them have gotten too much attention lately, but they definitely ought to get some.
The Saint-Saens is a great piece with wonderful music. Our church MD announced that we'll be singing the Faure just in time for All Saints this fall, and I said Why don't we do the S-S; it's not like we have to worry about ticket sales. But he probably considers S-S "slumming it".
Enjoyable from start to finish and your coverage of the Stravinsky Canticles and its overall context within his late period was especially persuasive😉. Your your reach back in time to 16th and 17th C music, which I tend to ignore as a listener, was also appreciated.
David, what a great topic! You are a trip. I was dismayed that you didn’t like the Stanford requiem, but so pleased you put the Saint-Saens on your list. With both those works it was the beautiful and inspired opening that drew me in. The opening of the Stanford can even be described as novel. Only much later, years, did I go back and learn how to listen to the entirety of both works. To my surprise I loved the Stanford. Surely, it must be his finest hour. If I had a choice, and was important, neither of which is true, I would want the Saint-Saens played at my own, eventual funeral. My streaming service has the Martin. I am headed there to listen to that and the Kokonnen. Thanks.
I'm with you on the Dvorak; I have about as many recordings of it as I do of the Brahms. Another Czech requiem I adore is Lukas' Requiem per coro misto Op.252 (1992) which has been recorded a number of times, and sometimes paired with Dvorak religious works. It's an a capella SSATB work. Today though, your list prompts me to listen to Sgambati's Messa da Requiem from ~1900.
Another great video mixing famous works and pieces to discover. What about another niche : top 16 stabat maters. I have in mind Dvorak, Poulenc, Vivaldi, Pergolese, Rossini, Szymanowski etc…
A pretty obscure one firmly in my list of faves is Gouvy's, a composer slowly wriggling his way out of total obscurity into the blinding light of almost total obscurity. His requiem is big, tuneful and beautiful, and is highly deserving of anyone's attention. Check it out -it will not disappoint. (More on the composer can be found in Dave's talk on the CPO symphonies box) Wouter van Doorn
For a composer known for his operas, Domenico Cimarosa' s Requiem of 1787, is quite beautiful. A more contemplative, accepting approach to the Requiem setting... a real treat..
The Durufle is my absolute favorite setting. I have always preferred the organ-only version of it, since I am perhaps the world’s biggest fan of the choir-organ sonority, and so for me it’s between John Scott/St. Thomas and Philip Ledger/King’s College.
I was very impressed by the Requiem for Fallen Brothers by Alexander Kastalsky, at least in Leonard Slatkin's Naxos recording, but let me see how it holds up when I give it some space and listen to it again.
Thank you so much for this wonderful list! Dvorak's Requiem would probably be my personal favorite.... so beautiful and moving for sure! (And don't worry about taking too long when it comes to talking about choral music in your videos! :-) ) It's always wonderful to hear your thoughts on vocal works.
Good list: two I’ve never heard of and a couple I had forgotten about. I would only add Christobal Morales’ Missa Pro Defunctus, glorious work from the 16th Century.
I have a feeling you could do a video of 16 MORE Fun-Filled Requiems, right? I'd just like to hear you talk about the Ligeti -- I mean, that's THE indispensible 20th century Requiem, no? Plus Schnittke, Silvestrov, Foulds (yay Foulds!), Liszt, Hamerik (yes!!), Salieri, Wetz, Henze, Coates... So many more good choices for when you want to immiserate yourself!
I have loved Foulds' music for ages, so I found his World Requiem an utter delight (except for the soprano), particularly as he does a specific callout to us Californians! Would that the ms. of his Symphony of East and West could be found someday.
Now here’s one I’d be very surprised if many people know: the Requiem from 1863 by Flemish composer Peter Benoit. It may be the most “journeyman” piece of classical music I listen to on a regular basis, just because I encountered it as a teenager and have a lot of lingering fondness for it.
Great fun list -as usual! Curious what your thoughts are on the "Messa per Rossini", the lost "Verdi" work from the Ricordi archives... ...and thanks for hitting that glorious tam-tam!
I would like to add Johan Michael Haydn Requiem in c minor mh 155 Missa pro defuncto Archiepiscopo Sigismundo. In my opinion one of the most beautiful less known works baring ressemblance to Mozart. Great list, Saint Saens is almost always forgotten when it comes to great music…
My streamer has three performances of the Martin. There's Segerstam and ORF Wien forces live in 1979 on Capriccio -- exciting moments, especially the opening of Dies Irae, but too scrappy and with a very restive audience. There's Klaus Knall and the Basel Sinfonietta on Musiques Suisses -- too gentle. And there's the Hamburger Camerata and Kantorei St. Nicolai under Matthias Hoffman-Borggrefe on Troubadisc -- intense, focused, not perfect but very, very good, and with an absolutely glorious final Lux Aeterna. Just the thing to chill the bones on the shvitziest day of the summer!
Agree that the Segerstam performance has scrappy moments and a sometimes noisy audience, but for me leaves a powerful impression and comes with a good performance of Janacek’s Otce nas (not as good, though as the one with the Prague Chamber Choir on ECM). Still, it’s likely the easiest to find since it was only recently issued!
Glad you like it! But do try to hear the Hamburg version. It has a chamber orchestra sound that suits Martin, one of the great chamber orchestra composers of the century. Stunning piece, isn't it?
Here’s an idea for a future video: survey the fortunes of the “Dies Irae” theme in the history of music! A great list. I’ll add, for lovers of Renaissance music, the gorgeous Requiem by Jean Richafort. It’s been recorded a few times, most powerfully by the Huelgas Ensemble.
The Huelgas recording of the Richafort Requiem really is a gem, and his quotations from Josquin's Nymphes, nappés are as emotional as composers get from the mid-Renaissance period.
Heinrich Biber wrote a couple of Requiems, and in very unusual keys (for Requiem masses, at least) - A Major and f minor. Both are worth checking out! Dave, Biber is an interesting composer particularly for his scordatura string works (particularly his Mystery/Rosary Sonatas), I would love to hear your thoughts on him here on UA-cam at some point.
There is (was) a budget collection on the Brilliant Classics label entitled "REQUIEM" that contains many of the Requiems you recommend during this video (I have absolutely no connection to the company.) And I just wanted to point this out to your viewers about it, although I must admit I haven't listened to its full contents, but most of the recordings are very respectable accounts of these works. (Herbert Kegel's recording of Britten's War Requiem is very special.) I think you may agree it makes a very respectful way to become acquainted with these works. (As a side note, thank you for all you have done to educate listeners about classical music!)
Hello, and thank you for your list! I've been listening to you a lot lately. First comment though. I was hoping you'd mention the Richafort requiem here, mainly so I could learn how to pronounce his name. But you gave us Ockeghem, so, can't complain!
Good list! For anyone interested in early Requiem settings from the Medieval and Renaissance polyphonic choral tradition, there is a very good record of Requiem masses by Pierre de la Rue and Antoine Brumel by The Clerks' Group. Their discography is out of print, but you can find the CDs used easily enough. Another one I'm pleased to have in my collection is the Requiem for Mozart, by Rosetti.
Pizzetti's Missa da Requiem (to give it its proper title) is an a cappella masterpiece. I first learned of it from Alec Robertson's book Requiem: Music of Mourning and Consolation.
Ha ha. I collect them. I always find that when a composer takes on a Requiem, they are thinking in the back of their mind, that it will eventually be played at their demise. So, they put their best effort into them.
Hello, I wonder what would happen to a person if he or she listened to all of these requiems back to back to back? A padded room somewhere perhaps?! I'm removing the Mozart from my list and inserting the John Foulds 'A World Requiem'. I simply cannot stomach the Mozart Requiem. I find it totally depressing and is often made worse by very slow performances. I can totally stand behind the Durufle Requiem, however. The Foulds Requiem is a gem.
Thanks for introducing me to a couple of works I didn’t know until now!…may I ask your thoughts of the Schumann Op. 148? I know it’s not one of the most revered, but I think it’s rather marvelous…am reminded that in your “romantic violin concerti” post, the Schumann was not mentioned…are you not a fan of either work?
@@DavesClassicalGuide I suspected as much! You’re in good company with Brahms and Cara, from what I’ve read regarding their suppression of the concerto, after his death…I must admit that, although I wouldn’t put it up there with the greats, the 2nd movement has me in pieces….absolutely heart breaking…not wanting to “poke the bear” with another Schumann…but I must admit to recently falling more than a little bit in love with his Peri/Paradise…I’d never heard of it until about a year ago, when I discovered the J E Gardiner recording with Barbara Bonney…as a side note, I’m sure you hear this often, but I’d like to thank you for all your wonderful posts…I can’t begin to tell you how much your posts have been such a great balm during the last couple of difficult years. You are a born teacher! You share your knowledge so openly and generously, with such passion. I’m often howling out loud too…your irreverence and occasional scathing attacks on snobbery and pretentiousness, speak to obvious great wisdom and knowledge… I’m not one for blowing smoke up people’s asses, but there it is. Thank you for introducing me to so many new works and composers, since I found your channel. There’s no other like it to be found. A beckon of light among the dirge of banality. Thank you! 🙏🏻🥰
@@DavesClassicalGuide the pleasure is ALL ours! I relish every new post. It’s a rare gift to be able to educate and entertain simultaneously. Best wishes from California 🥰🌞
Oh yes, as a requiem connoisseur, I've been waiting for one of these videos forever! I'll get to watching it pronto. Out of curiosity, Dave, have you ever heard of the one by Osip Kozlovsky? That one blew my mind when I first heard it. Completed in 1798, it sounds way ahead of its time!
Wow! I just searched it on UA-cam, and I cannot believe it, to what I'm listening! Do you know, if this is an original work or was it later edited or at least scored?
@@DavesClassicalGuide What exactly do you mean by "enhanced"? I'm referring to the Melodiya recording of Kozlovsky's requiem, recorded 1988, published 2010.
@@consul4140 Yes, I know. There is some question about just what the composer may have intended with respect to some of the brass parts (they are called "Tube" and placed at the back of the score). The tuba did not exist at the time of composition, and even if it had they composer would not have asked for five or six of them. Also, the tam-tam part is nowhere to be found. So although the score was published, it leaves a good bit to editorial discretion on the part of the performers (I think).
I am chuffed to say I have 10 of these! I might argue that as I have multiple completions of the Mozart I have even more...I also have Howells & Karl Jenkins; the latter's Dies Irae is well worth hearing, and succeeds in being entirely distinctive. If I wanted to plug any of them, it would be the Saint-Saens - whose Dies Irae is also distinctive. Just go and listen to it! You won't regret giving it some of your time. I would have loved there to be a a Requiem by Rossini - I am sure he would have done it justice, given what he did with the Petite Messe Solennelle.
For the Durufle Requiem, I want to add that the large orchestral version was the first and remained Durufle’s favourite. I think it’s always worth listening to one of Durufle’s own recordings for the authentic French sonority and style. My personal favourite Requiem is the one by Herzogenberg. It’s extremely well written, has a very unique and personal, intensely moving take on the text and I wouldn’t rate it any lower than Brahms. Unfortunately, the Sanctus is decidedly not on the same level of invention and craftsmanship as the other movements, and more unfortunately, it’s almost completely inaccessible…
@@ignacioclerici5341 Mozart sketched all of the Introit, of the Offertorium, and all of the Sequence until the Lacrimosa. Mozart never finished the complete orchestration of any of them besides choir and continuo, and some small indications here and there. For the Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei all that survives is by Sussmayr, but it is theorized he may have used (now lost) sketches. Most completions revolve around reorchestrating Sussmayr's and Eybler's additions the orchestration in a style closer to Mozart's and adding an Amen fugue based on a sketch discovered in the 60's. Some completions also recompose the later movements basing themselves on speculation about Mozart's lost sketches.
Would you do a similar talk on the different masses in the repertoire at any point in time too? I'm really curious to see your thoughts on some of the other ones other than the ones mentioned by you in this video (namely Bach's and Beethoven's).
I wonder if I am the only one who does care about what they are singing in a requiem. Be it a requiem or a stabat mater or anything else in latin. I listen to the music and feel the emotions that it stirs in me. A German Requiem's Denn alles Fleisch etc. gives me shivers since I do understand the language and it is composed in a way that you can actually make out the words. I am curious what others think about this.
Would you consider Bliss’ Morning Heroes to be a requiem? (It’s one of the few pieces I actually like that includes a narrator, which typically annoys me.)
Out of curiosity, do you consider Hindemith’s “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd: A Requiem for those we love” an Oratorio or a Requiem? I was surprised not to see it on the list, as I know you are an avowed Hindemith connoisseur.
I adore Mozart’s Requiem but after the Lacrymosa, it does take a downward turn because it’s not written by Mozart but mostly by Süssmayr based on his sketches. While it’s good, it’s nowhere near the mind blowing first half Mozart wrote
The Pie Jesu is really beautiful in its simplicity. And who would have thought Lorin Maazel of all people could conduct something so "hip"! It's not the kitschy trash people think it is.
MERCI BEAUCOUP ! No no no Google for me i want your list ....and i am SO PLEASED 😇😇 Like your opinion on each of them . Now i have to listen the ones i don't no and make my own opinion 🥸
I sang in the Britten War Requiem, as a schoolboy, for the centenary of the First World War. My father sang in the main choir. It was an utterly overwhelming experience. Love this video! Can’t wait to explore the Requiems I know nothing of!
The Faure is exquisite. It's so lyrical, even the Libera Me Domine is very touching. For me, the reference recording is Sir David Wilcocks and the Kings College Choir. It's literally like being in Heaven.
Having never been to heaven, I wouldn't know! ;)
Cherubini’s c minor requiem was used in David Lynch’s Fire Walk with Me. This movie was how I originally became acquainted with Cherubini. Great music!
Durufle is incredible. Heard Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Choir do it this year with Runnicles conducting. The modal chording is unlike any other piece of music. And, clearly, very lyrical and melodic. Has "the French" sound you'd expect, but it's not simply a re-do of Ravel/Debussy. Durufle had a distinct voice for the 20th century. He was a perfectionist and had trouble letting pieces go and so kept writing and then re-writing. More music from him would have been welcomed I'm sure. Thanks for including this piece.
For me, an exceptional requiem where the composer personally knows what he is talking about is the requiem by Schnittke. There are many exciting moments in it, such as the climax at the end of the Tuba Mirum built with a base drum, tam-tam and... flexaton!
When it comes to Zelenka, the Dies Irae of the D Major setting (ZWV 46), is the happiest celebration of the end of the world ever... and it was composed for the King's death (Augustus I. of Saxony “Augustus the Strong“)... which is rather morbid when you think about it.
Another great list! My favorite requiem might be Schnittke’s - I love the zaniness of the Credo. I’m also partial to Silvestrov’s Requiem for Larissa (on ECM), which he wrote for his wife.
I love the Requiem aeternam sections that bookend his requiem!
@@Vandalarius Absolutely!
Thank you for the list! As everyone is adding something, aside from the already mentioned I'd like to add the Jommelli Requiem, which I heard on the radio some time ago and blew my mind!
Great list, David! I love the PIzzetti Requiem and Howells as well. I sang the Berlioz Requiem in Dallas with Eduardo Mata. It was overwhelming. Amazing piece. So glad you went back to Renaissance polyphony!!
A great and really funfilled list. I feel happy to add two more. One is, of course, the Polish Requiem by Penderecki, written, as so often with this composer, in bits. It is the 3rd of Penderecki's full length choral pieces (after the St. Luke Passion and Utrenja). It is late Penderecki, more in the new romantic vein, but he makes recourses to his earlier style.
The other is not well known, but I like this work and it's composer. It is the Requiem by the british composer Wilfred Josephs. Josephs is very well known - but less for his interesting symphonies and much more for his film and TV-tunes: "I, Claudius", "The Prisoner" "Fanatic" a.s.o. Being jewish, he used the Kaddish for his Requiem for the jews murdered in the shoah. The work was recorded by David Measham for Unicorn and is now available on Lyrita. It's an austere, even bleak work with mostly quiet, slowly moving parts and a few dissonant outbursts. Although Joseph's other music sounds often as it would start with Britten and go further in baby steps, the Requiem has more to do with the polish avantgarde, especially the Penderecki of the St. Luke Passion in so far as Josephs, too, uses new techniques, but blends them with elements of the past.
An excellent talk! It gives a classical music enthusiast an idea how versatile of a genre are we talking about when discussing requiem masses. Your repertoire lists always offer something new and are never predictable. Zelenka is absolutely someone to check out, I don't think I've ever heard his works. And thank you for bringing Martin and Kokkonen to the limelight! Neither of them have gotten too much attention lately, but they definitely ought to get some.
Two more requiems to die for: Franz von Suppè's Requiem from 1855 (Profil/Hänssler) + Bruno Maderna's Requiem from 1946 (Capriccio)
The Saint-Saens is a great piece with wonderful music. Our church MD announced that we'll be singing the Faure just in time for All Saints this fall, and I said Why don't we do the S-S; it's not like we have to worry about ticket sales. But he probably considers S-S "slumming it".
I found what you had to say about the Stravinsky Canticles illuminating. I too love and esteem them.
Enjoyable from start to finish and your coverage of the Stravinsky Canticles and its overall context within his late period was especially persuasive😉. Your your reach back in time to 16th and 17th C music, which I tend to ignore as a listener, was also appreciated.
A great list indeed! And I would add a few more requiem pieces that I also enjoy: Biber, Haydn, Kozlovsky, Delius, Howells, Ligeti and Penderecki.
David, what a great topic! You are a trip.
I was dismayed that you didn’t like the Stanford requiem, but so pleased you put the Saint-Saens on your list. With both those works it was the beautiful and inspired opening that drew me in. The opening of the Stanford can even be described as novel. Only much later, years, did I go back and learn how to listen to the entirety of both works. To my surprise I loved the Stanford. Surely, it must be his finest hour. If I had a choice, and was important, neither of which is true, I would want the Saint-Saens played at my own, eventual funeral.
My streaming service has the Martin. I am headed there to listen to that and the Kokonnen. Thanks.
I'm with you on the Dvorak; I have about as many recordings of it as I do of the Brahms. Another Czech requiem I adore is Lukas' Requiem per coro misto Op.252 (1992) which has been recorded a number of times, and sometimes paired with Dvorak religious works. It's an a capella SSATB work.
Today though, your list prompts me to listen to Sgambati's Messa da Requiem from ~1900.
Another great video mixing famous works and pieces to discover. What about another niche : top 16 stabat maters. I have in mind Dvorak, Poulenc, Vivaldi, Pergolese, Rossini, Szymanowski etc…
A pretty obscure one firmly in my list of faves is Gouvy's, a composer slowly wriggling his way out of total obscurity into the blinding light of almost total obscurity. His requiem is big, tuneful and beautiful, and is highly deserving of anyone's attention.
Check it out -it will not disappoint.
(More on the composer can be found in Dave's talk on the CPO symphonies box)
Wouter van Doorn
For a composer known for his operas, Domenico Cimarosa' s Requiem of 1787, is quite beautiful. A more contemplative, accepting approach to the Requiem setting... a real treat..
The Durufle is my absolute favorite setting. I have always preferred the organ-only version of it, since I am perhaps the world’s biggest fan of the choir-organ sonority, and so for me it’s between John Scott/St. Thomas and Philip Ledger/King’s College.
Ha ha. Richard Wetz wrote a fun Requiem and an equally fun Christmas History, both on CPO.
Nice list. Two more that I think are worth hearing are the Otto Olsson and the Michael Haydn.
I also recommend Frantisek Tuma's requiem [missa della morte in C] from 1742 (Supraphon) and Arnold Rosner's requiem from 1973 (Toccata Classics).
'Requiem-itude'. Love it!
I was very impressed by the Requiem for Fallen Brothers by Alexander Kastalsky, at least in Leonard Slatkin's Naxos recording, but let me see how it holds up when I give it some space and listen to it again.
Thank you so much for this wonderful list! Dvorak's Requiem would probably be my personal favorite.... so beautiful and moving for sure! (And don't worry about taking too long when it comes to talking about choral music in your videos! :-) ) It's always wonderful to hear your thoughts on vocal works.
Good list: two I’ve never heard of and a couple I had forgotten about. I would only add Christobal Morales’ Missa Pro Defunctus, glorious work from the 16th Century.
I have a feeling you could do a video of 16 MORE Fun-Filled Requiems, right? I'd just like to hear you talk about the Ligeti -- I mean, that's THE indispensible 20th century Requiem, no?
Plus Schnittke, Silvestrov, Foulds (yay Foulds!), Liszt, Hamerik (yes!!), Salieri, Wetz, Henze, Coates... So many more good choices for when you want to immiserate yourself!
I have loved Foulds' music for ages, so I found his World Requiem an utter delight (except for the soprano), particularly as he does a specific callout to us Californians! Would that the ms. of his Symphony of East and West could be found someday.
@@classicalduck And the Abyssinians (?!). I find that opening chromatic brass chorale utterly captivating.
Ligeti's was definitely on my list.
I didn t know all this
Thanks so much
Now here’s one I’d be very surprised if many people know: the Requiem from 1863 by Flemish composer Peter Benoit. It may be the most “journeyman” piece of classical music I listen to on a regular basis, just because I encountered it as a teenager and have a lot of lingering fondness for it.
Great fun list -as usual! Curious what your thoughts are on the "Messa per Rossini", the lost "Verdi" work from the Ricordi archives...
...and thanks for hitting that glorious tam-tam!
I like it.
I would like to add Johan Michael Haydn Requiem in c minor mh 155 Missa pro defuncto Archiepiscopo Sigismundo. In my opinion one of the most beautiful less known works baring ressemblance to Mozart. Great list, Saint Saens is almost always forgotten when it comes to great music…
Yes... the first great Requiem ever written is Michael Haydn's, in my opinion..
Biber's Requiem on Alia Vox is absolutely stunning as well.
My streamer has three performances of the Martin. There's Segerstam and ORF Wien forces live in 1979 on Capriccio -- exciting moments, especially the opening of Dies Irae, but too scrappy and with a very restive audience. There's Klaus Knall and the Basel Sinfonietta on Musiques Suisses -- too gentle. And there's the Hamburger Camerata and Kantorei St. Nicolai under Matthias Hoffman-Borggrefe on Troubadisc -- intense, focused, not perfect but very, very good, and with an absolutely glorious final Lux Aeterna. Just the thing to chill the bones on the shvitziest day of the summer!
Agree that the Segerstam performance has scrappy moments and a sometimes noisy audience, but for me leaves a powerful impression and comes with a good performance of Janacek’s Otce nas (not as good, though as the one with the Prague Chamber Choir on ECM). Still, it’s likely the easiest to find since it was only recently issued!
Glad you like it! But do try to hear the Hamburg version. It has a chamber orchestra sound that suits Martin, one of the great chamber orchestra composers of the century. Stunning piece, isn't it?
@@johnmontanari6857 Yes, it is!
Here’s an idea for a future video: survey the fortunes of the “Dies Irae” theme in the history of music!
A great list. I’ll add, for lovers of Renaissance music, the gorgeous Requiem by Jean Richafort. It’s been recorded a few times, most powerfully by the Huelgas Ensemble.
The Huelgas recording of the Richafort Requiem really is a gem, and his quotations from Josquin's Nymphes, nappés are as emotional as composers get from the mid-Renaissance period.
Heinrich Biber wrote a couple of Requiems, and in very unusual keys (for Requiem masses, at least) - A Major and f minor. Both are worth checking out! Dave, Biber is an interesting composer particularly for his scordatura string works (particularly his Mystery/Rosary Sonatas), I would love to hear your thoughts on him here on UA-cam at some point.
The Biber requiems are great music!
Savall's f minor recording is particularly amazing.
Borodin wrote a great requiem, it's quite simple and only 5 minutes long but its full of great melodies
There is (was) a budget collection on the Brilliant Classics label entitled "REQUIEM" that contains many of the Requiems you recommend during this video (I have absolutely no connection to the company.) And I just wanted to point this out to your viewers about it, although I must admit I haven't listened to its full contents, but most of the recordings are very respectable accounts of these works. (Herbert Kegel's recording of Britten's War Requiem is very special.) I think you may agree it makes a very respectful way to become acquainted with these works. (As a side note, thank you for all you have done to educate listeners about classical music!)
I made a video about that box already.
Hello, and thank you for your list! I've been listening to you a lot lately. First comment though.
I was hoping you'd mention the Richafort requiem here, mainly so I could learn how to pronounce his name. But you gave us Ockeghem, so, can't complain!
Good list! For anyone interested in early Requiem settings from the Medieval and Renaissance polyphonic choral tradition, there is a very good record of Requiem masses by Pierre de la Rue and Antoine Brumel by The Clerks' Group. Their discography is out of print, but you can find the CDs used easily enough. Another one I'm pleased to have in my collection is the Requiem for Mozart, by Rosetti.
Love Ligeti´s Requiem!
Great list! I would add Howell and Pizzetti's both on a beautiful album by the ensemble Conspirare conducted by Craig Hella Johnson.
Pizzetti's Missa da Requiem (to give it its proper title) is an a cappella masterpiece. I first learned of it from Alec Robertson's book Requiem: Music of Mourning and Consolation.
No Ligeti requiem? You don't find that one fun?
It's a laugh-riot, absolutely!
Ha ha. I collect them. I always find that when a composer takes on a Requiem, they are thinking in the back of their mind, that it will eventually be played at their demise. So, they put their best effort into them.
Hello,
I wonder what would happen to a person if he or she listened to all of these requiems back to back to back? A padded room somewhere perhaps?!
I'm removing the Mozart from my list and inserting the John Foulds 'A World Requiem'. I simply cannot stomach the Mozart Requiem. I find it totally depressing and is often made worse by very slow performances. I can totally stand behind the Durufle Requiem, however. The Foulds Requiem is a gem.
Thanks for introducing me to a couple of works I didn’t know until now!…may I ask your thoughts of the Schumann Op. 148? I know it’s not one of the most revered, but I think it’s rather marvelous…am reminded that in your “romantic violin concerti” post, the Schumann was not mentioned…are you not a fan of either work?
I'm not a fan of any work!
@@DavesClassicalGuide I suspected as much! You’re in good company with Brahms and Cara, from what I’ve read regarding their suppression of the concerto, after his death…I must admit that, although I wouldn’t put it up there with the greats, the 2nd movement has me in pieces….absolutely heart breaking…not wanting to “poke the bear” with another Schumann…but I must admit to recently falling more than a little bit in love with his Peri/Paradise…I’d never heard of it until about a year ago, when I discovered the J E Gardiner recording with Barbara Bonney…as a side note, I’m sure you hear this often, but I’d like to thank you for all your wonderful posts…I can’t begin to tell you how much your posts have been such a great balm during the last couple of difficult years. You are a born teacher! You share your knowledge so openly and generously, with such passion. I’m often howling out loud too…your irreverence and occasional scathing attacks on snobbery and pretentiousness, speak to obvious great wisdom and knowledge… I’m not one for blowing smoke up people’s asses, but there it is. Thank you for introducing me to so many new works and composers, since I found your channel. There’s no other like it to be found. A beckon of light among the dirge of banality. Thank you! 🙏🏻🥰
@@robertcurry7664 Thank YOU for coming on this journey with me!
@@DavesClassicalGuide the pleasure is ALL ours! I relish every new post. It’s a rare gift to be able to educate and entertain simultaneously. Best wishes from California 🥰🌞
I've listened to only five you have on your list and only one that is not on your list: the requiem of John Rutter.
"Go forth and enjoy death" is marvelous - a phrase that someday will appear attributed to the wrong guy on some internet image.
Oh yes, as a requiem connoisseur, I've been waiting for one of these videos forever! I'll get to watching it pronto. Out of curiosity, Dave, have you ever heard of the one by Osip Kozlovsky? That one blew my mind when I first heard it. Completed in 1798, it sounds way ahead of its time!
No, I don't know it. Thanks for mentioning it. I'll try to check it out when I'm in the "mood!"
Wow! I just searched it on UA-cam, and I cannot believe it, to what I'm listening! Do you know, if this is an original work or was it later edited or at least scored?
@@edwinbaumgartner5045 The score is on IMSLP. I suspect, from the look of it, that the Russian performance has been much "enhanced."
@@DavesClassicalGuide What exactly do you mean by "enhanced"? I'm referring to the Melodiya recording of Kozlovsky's requiem, recorded 1988, published 2010.
@@consul4140 Yes, I know. There is some question about just what the composer may have intended with respect to some of the brass parts (they are called "Tube" and placed at the back of the score). The tuba did not exist at the time of composition, and even if it had they composer would not have asked for five or six of them. Also, the tam-tam part is nowhere to be found. So although the score was published, it leaves a good bit to editorial discretion on the part of the performers (I think).
I am chuffed to say I have 10 of these!
I might argue that as I have multiple completions of the Mozart I have even more...I also have Howells & Karl Jenkins; the latter's Dies Irae is well worth hearing, and succeeds in being entirely distinctive.
If I wanted to plug any of them, it would be the Saint-Saens - whose Dies Irae is also distinctive. Just go and listen to it! You won't regret giving it some of your time.
I would have loved there to be a a Requiem by Rossini - I am sure he would have done it justice, given what he did with the Petite Messe Solennelle.
Do you like Campra's?
That gong punch just scared the sh** out of my dog...
The title "16 Fun Filled Requiems" almost makes you sound like Gomez Addams.
For the Durufle Requiem, I want to add that the large orchestral version was the first and remained Durufle’s favourite. I think it’s always worth listening to one of Durufle’s own recordings for the authentic French sonority and style.
My personal favourite Requiem is the one by Herzogenberg. It’s extremely well written, has a very unique and personal, intensely moving take on the text and I wouldn’t rate it any lower than Brahms. Unfortunately, the Sanctus is decidedly not on the same level of invention and craftsmanship as the other movements, and more unfortunately, it’s almost completely inaccessible…
I like John Rutter's Requiem, though not considered in the same class as the ones you cover. Also, would a Kaddish be appropriate for the list?
No, it would not. The question was specifically about Requiems.
Thomas Beveridge's Yizkor Requiem, perhaps?
Shoutouts to the fellow Mozart Requiem enthusiasts who, like me, know all 30+ completions by head! I know all five of you are out there!
The majority of the requiem is by Mozart, only the last few movements arent. The difference in Quality it's obvious.
@@ignacioclerici5341 Mozart sketched all of the Introit, of the Offertorium, and all of the Sequence until the Lacrimosa. Mozart never finished the complete orchestration of any of them besides choir and continuo, and some small indications here and there. For the Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei all that survives is by Sussmayr, but it is theorized he may have used (now lost) sketches.
Most completions revolve around reorchestrating Sussmayr's and Eybler's additions the orchestration in a style closer to Mozart's and adding an Amen fugue based on a sketch discovered in the 60's. Some completions also recompose the later movements basing themselves on speculation about Mozart's lost sketches.
Would you do a similar talk on the different masses in the repertoire at any point in time too? I'm really curious to see your thoughts on some of the other ones other than the ones mentioned by you in this video (namely Bach's and Beethoven's).
I already have done Bach and Beethoven.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Sorry I should've been clearer. I meant a talk on the masses composed by other composers other than Bach and Beethoven.
I wonder if I am the only one who does care about what they are singing in a requiem. Be it a requiem or a stabat mater or anything else in latin. I listen to the music and feel the emotions that it stirs in me. A German Requiem's Denn alles Fleisch etc. gives me shivers since I do understand the language and it is composed in a way that you can actually make out the words. I am curious what others think about this.
Thank you. Sometimes I can not listen to the Britten. It's one of the few things that affect me TOO much!
How about Jean Gilles? It offers it's own brand of comforting expression...
Yes! I first heard it on the radio and was so drawn into it that I had to wait 'til it was over to continue what I should have been doing.
Salieri's requiem is also a pretty good piece. Maybe not at the level of the ones mentioned here but worth listening nevertheless
Lots of things are worth listening to!
Thanks for the tip, perhaps someday I'll check it out.
Would you consider Bliss’ Morning Heroes to be a requiem? (It’s one of the few pieces I actually like that includes a narrator, which typically annoys me.)
Out of curiosity, do you consider Hindemith’s “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd: A Requiem for those we love” an Oratorio or a Requiem? I was surprised not to see it on the list, as I know you are an avowed Hindemith connoisseur.
I don't see the difference. It's not on the list because there's enough on the list. I think it's a great work, whatever you choose to call it.
@@DavesClassicalGuide I appreciate the response! It’s a lovely work, and I know this list would have gone on for ages if you had listed everything.
I'm sorry, Michael Haydn's Requiem should be on this list.. Mozart may have used it as a model for his own... a masterpiece..
It should be on someone's list. Just not mine.
I adore Mozart’s Requiem but after the Lacrymosa, it does take a downward turn because it’s not written by Mozart but mostly by Süssmayr based on his sketches. While it’s good, it’s nowhere near the mind blowing first half Mozart wrote
What!? No Andrew Lloyd Weber? An outrage!....not.
The best moment in any work by Lord Lobachevsky is when it's over.
The Pie Jesu is really beautiful in its simplicity. And who would have thought Lorin Maazel of all people could conduct something so "hip"! It's not the kitschy trash people think it is.
MERCI BEAUCOUP !
No no no Google for me i want your list ....and i am SO PLEASED 😇😇
Like your opinion on each of them .
Now i have to listen the ones i don't no and make my own opinion 🥸
You're welcome 😊