mind_philip
saw the light
For me it has to be Faure. It lacks the fire and brimstone bombast of some of the other biggies (Mr. Verdi I am looking at you) but for me is probably the most beautiful 30 minutes of music I have ever heard.
Favorite Requiem
- Thread starter mind_philip
- Start date
actually not sure if a requiem requires a particular structure to be described as such,or its just the thought that counts...
if its any piece of music in memory of someone,them arvo part's cantus in memory of benjamen britten would be my favourite...
i'm sure a requiem probably has a more technical definition than that though...
if its any piece of music in memory of someone,them arvo part's cantus in memory of benjamen britten would be my favourite...
i'm sure a requiem probably has a more technical definition than that though...
mind_philip
saw the light
I'm sure there is a specific definition of what makes up a Requiem, but in the general terms I'm aware of, it's a setting of the order of a Requiem Mass to music. The 'Agnus Dei' of Faure's Requiem is particularly lovely; soothing and consoling. If you've never heard it, I really do recommend it.
verdi has top c which was always a contest when i was a cathedral chorister...
who could reach the top note was top boy.
my voice is and always was too looow.
but war requimem by benji britten, heard in truro cathedral completley blew my mind about the emotions you could get out of choirs and violins, i'm very thankful to my dad for that .
cantus for benjmin britten by arvo part is incredible.
total and absolute crumble into a black heap music.
almost unlistenable.
who could reach the top note was top boy.
my voice is and always was too looow.
but war requimem by benji britten, heard in truro cathedral completley blew my mind about the emotions you could get out of choirs and violins, i'm very thankful to my dad for that .
cantus for benjmin britten by arvo part is incredible.
total and absolute crumble into a black heap music.
almost unlistenable.
scottdisco
rip this joint please
Phil OTM
the Faure is lovely.
the Faure is lovely.
Ness Rowlah
Norwegian Wood
the Faure is lovely indeed.
Totally different, but also beautiful: Durutti Column's "Requiem for my mother"
from "Someone Else's Party". Simple and direct lyrics, and then Vini's guitar ...
Totally different, but also beautiful: Durutti Column's "Requiem for my mother"
from "Someone Else's Party". Simple and direct lyrics, and then Vini's guitar ...
mind_philip
saw the light
Obviously the Mozart is splendid too. A question I always find myself asking as an agnostic is why religiously motivated art moves me so greatly. Has anyone else ever thought about this?
I mean, at times, as the final whispers of the 'In Paradisum' fade I do catch myself wondering if there really is something else, and if the odd feeling of displacement I get from the music is a symptom of me getting a glimpse of this, however briefly.
I mean, at times, as the final whispers of the 'In Paradisum' fade I do catch myself wondering if there really is something else, and if the odd feeling of displacement I get from the music is a symptom of me getting a glimpse of this, however briefly.
Rachel Verinder
Well-known member
Herbert Howells' "Take Him Earth For Christening" as performed at JFK's funeral.
... Cherishing
Actually, Howells' own Requiem would just pip Faure to the post for me. I studied Faure for a year at school for GCSEs and still adore it, but the Howells is something else.
Bubbling under: Victoria (Spanish Renaissance masterpiece), Ockeghem (first polyphonic requiem; dark), Tavener: Celtic Requiem (playground songs + madness), Penderecki: Polish Requiem (Verdi + Solidarity).
Actually, Howells' own Requiem would just pip Faure to the post for me. I studied Faure for a year at school for GCSEs and still adore it, but the Howells is something else.
Bubbling under: Victoria (Spanish Renaissance masterpiece), Ockeghem (first polyphonic requiem; dark), Tavener: Celtic Requiem (playground songs + madness), Penderecki: Polish Requiem (Verdi + Solidarity).
mind_philip
saw the light
I've never heard Howells' Requiem, I'll have to find a copy.
scottdisco
rip this joint please
i'll be forever grateful to Tim for recommending Howells to me some time ago.
Naxos cheapo discs might sometimes be the subject of a S/D thread on ILM but you can definitely find some gems (i used to like that prepared piano Cage one, that was recorded in a Canadian church, a lot of people seemed to have that, and they had a nice Ma Vlast).
on the particulars of requiems, Tim, can you recommend the Palestrina? he's a figure i'm quite interested in, and i'd appreciate some guidance.
cheers.
i'm with Phil on the religious tip and whatnot.
wondering if you caught a glimpse of something, sometimes, when you let devotional music inhabit you.
oh Tim (or anyone, but i know you might know), have you heard much Part from before his latterday minimalism? he wrote serialism didn't he, and earlier still followed what i've seen referred to as Soviet models. right?
i know literally everyone likes Part minimal etc but i was just wondering about this because i'm raey ignorant on this tip and am q intrigued.
cheers for any responses.
Naxos cheapo discs might sometimes be the subject of a S/D thread on ILM but you can definitely find some gems (i used to like that prepared piano Cage one, that was recorded in a Canadian church, a lot of people seemed to have that, and they had a nice Ma Vlast).
on the particulars of requiems, Tim, can you recommend the Palestrina? he's a figure i'm quite interested in, and i'd appreciate some guidance.
cheers.
i'm with Phil on the religious tip and whatnot.
wondering if you caught a glimpse of something, sometimes, when you let devotional music inhabit you.
oh Tim (or anyone, but i know you might know), have you heard much Part from before his latterday minimalism? he wrote serialism didn't he, and earlier still followed what i've seen referred to as Soviet models. right?
i know literally everyone likes Part minimal etc but i was just wondering about this because i'm raey ignorant on this tip and am q intrigued.
cheers for any responses.
mind_philip
saw the light
Scott, do you have the Naxos disk of Howells' Requiem? If so, would you recommend it? It definitely seems to be full to the brim with his choral work. Naxos are obviously the cheapy option, but with all the stuff I have left to consume in the world, gotta make a few economies every now and then.
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hamarplazt
100% No Soul Guaranteed
I think Berloiz and Ligeti should be mentioned too. Not sure about a personal favorite, though... I was slightly disappointed by Pendereckis Polish Requiem after I'd been blown away by the St. Lukes Passion.
Do Nasenblutens Steelworks Requiem count? Probably not.
Do Nasenblutens Steelworks Requiem count? Probably not.
scottdisco
rip this joint please
Philip, that Naxos disc is to be highly recommended, for sure (though we must thank the Rambler, really).
and being Naxos as you say, it's cheap.
J.B. Steane rates it!
hamarplazt:
>I think Berloiz and Ligeti should be mentioned too
cool sounding shouts there, i've always meant to listen to this pair a lot more, as opposed to just having possessed at various stages the odd disc, the odd sampler and such...
and being Naxos as you say, it's cheap.
J.B. Steane rates it!
hamarplazt:
>I think Berloiz and Ligeti should be mentioned too
cool sounding shouts there, i've always meant to listen to this pair a lot more, as opposed to just having possessed at various stages the odd disc, the odd sampler and such...
Yeah, Polish Requiem is totally different to St Luke Passion - in the mid 70s Penderecki dropped the whole avant-garde noise thing (who didn't?) and became more neo-romantic, but there are still some fantastic bits in the Pol Req - the Agnus Dei is probably the most gorgeous thing he ever wrote.
Naxos Howells disc is well recommended - Take Him Earth and a couple of other gems are on there too. (Glad you like it Scott!)
Early (pre-1976) Part is a bit hit and miss. I love it - prefer some of it to his later work to be honest - but it's very collagey, which means that it gets labelled 'eclectic' or 'inconsistent', and is mostly ignored. If you can find them, Credo and Pro et Contra are good places to start. Nothing particularly Requiem-ey, though. For the best introduction to early Part stuff try this CD. Not everything on there is pre-76, but Collage, Wenn Bach Bienen, Symphony no.2 and Credo are all worth hearing.
Naxos Howells disc is well recommended - Take Him Earth and a couple of other gems are on there too. (Glad you like it Scott!)
Early (pre-1976) Part is a bit hit and miss. I love it - prefer some of it to his later work to be honest - but it's very collagey, which means that it gets labelled 'eclectic' or 'inconsistent', and is mostly ignored. If you can find them, Credo and Pro et Contra are good places to start. Nothing particularly Requiem-ey, though. For the best introduction to early Part stuff try this CD. Not everything on there is pre-76, but Collage, Wenn Bach Bienen, Symphony no.2 and Credo are all worth hearing.
mind_philip
saw the light
I picked up the Howells disc yesterday and it is really good. Thanks to Scott and Rambler for the recommendation. While I was browsing the Naxos rack at HMV I also picked up Durufle's Requiem (mainly because I've seen it coupled with Faure a few times on different discs) and rarely can an impulse buy have paid off so well. It is really beautiful, though the recording is a little flabby. The 'Introit' in particular is wonderfully layered and unapologetically mystical in tone.