Hello and thank you for checking out my posts as we progress through the top 50 classical recordings of all-time on my blog Building a Classical Music Collection. Admittedly it is absurd task for me to identify and describe the top 50 recordings ever in classical music. After all, I am not a professional musician and there are literally thousands of recordings out there. There is a good amount of subjectivity involved to be sure. But it is also enjoyable to share my passion for these recordings with you, and if you are going to listen to classical music you should listen to what are the best performances in my humble opinion.
For this post, we have reached #12 on the list. It may be surprising to some that thus far we have not reviewed any recordings of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, certainly one of the greatest composers in history. It is indeed past time to add a Mozart recording to the list, not just because we have been neglecting Mozart, but because this recording is something special and not to be missed. The recording is Mozart’s Requiem performed by the Dunedin Consort directed by John Butt on the Linn Records label. This 2014 recording claims to be a reconstruction of the first live performance of the piece, because it is the premiere recording of Mozart scholar David Black’s new 2013 edition of Franz Sussmayr’s completion. I will explain that a bit further along in this essay.
The Composer
The incomparable genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (b. 1756 – d. 1791) was an Austrian composer of opera, symphonic works, concertos, choral and vocal works, keyboard pieces, orchestral works, and chamber music. Despite his short life, Mozart produced more than 800 works, and scholars say he likely composed even more that will never be known or recovered. Mozart was the only son of a proud and exploitative father Leopold Mozart. When Leopold realized his son’s prodigious talent, he toured him all around Europe. It is debated whether these trips contributed to Mozart’s chronic illnesses, as he had bouts of typhus and smallpox during childhood. Mozart held on to some resentment of his father. Indeed, Mozart even boycotted his own father’s funeral.
Although employed off and on by royalty, from 1782 Mozart was essentially self-employed. He married Constanze Weber in 1783, without his father’s approval. Even though he was not working for anyone else, by the age of 20 he had written nine operas, five violin concertos, at least 30 symphonies, sets of divertimentos and serenades, many liturgical works, six sonatas, and six concertos for piano. Although Mozart had several teachers, including his father, he was increasingly influenced by Michael Haydn (younger brother of legendary composer Franz Josef Haydn). Between the years 1782 and 1786, Mozart produced a ream of piano concertos from no. 12 to no. 25. He would go on to write only two more piano concertos before his death. His final five operas are generally considered to be his greatest: Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), Don Giovanni (Don Juan), Cosi Fan Tutte (All Women Act That Way), Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute), and La Clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus). His symphonic production reached its apex with his final four symphonies, nos. 38 – 41. Although I am personally a huge fan of Die Zauberflote and his final symphony no. 41 “Jupiter”, all of his works reflect his undeniable talent and range.
Mozart’s Requiem
It is known that a mysterious benefactor commissioned Mozart to compose a Requiem Mass in July 1791. If you are familiar with the Peter Shaffer stage play Amadeus from 1979, or Milos Forman’s acclaimed film adaptation of the same title from 1984, it is one of Mozart’s fellow contemporary composers Antonio Salieri that is the mysterious visitor that commissions the Requiem. We now know it was not Salieri (a fiction created for the stage), but rather Franz von Walsegg-Stuppach. It is speculated that since it was known Mozart was quite ill at the time (likely with rheumatic fever, which was to cause his death), Walsegg probably intended to later pass off the work as his own composition at a service for his wife who had died earlier in the year.
In the summer of 1791, Mozart would have been busy with rehearsals for Die Zauberflote and La Clemenza di Tito, and so wasn’t able to really work on the Requiem until the fall. By that time his illness had slowed him down considerably. Mozart’s health continued to decline, and when he died on December 5th, 1791, the Requiem was not completed. Mozart completed and orchestrated the Introit (Requiem Aeternam), and the vocal lines with accompaniment for the Kyrie, Dies Irae, Tuba Mirum, Rex Tremendae, Recordare, and Confutatis. He was able to sketch some bars for the Lacrimosa and Offertorium. It is possible some other parts were sketched out as well, but we don’t know since no other sketches survive.
After he died, his widow Constanze communicated stories about how Mozart had dictated specific instructions the day before he died to his pupil Franz Sussmayr on how the work was to be completed. Constanze later also reported how Mozart had received the commission from a mysterious messenger who did not reveal the identity of the commissioner. She said that Mozart had come to believe that he was writing the requiem for his own funeral. Since Constanze was now the widowed mother of two children, a public benefit concert was organized not long after Mozart’s death, and at the time the Requiem was presented as Mozart’s complete work. She obviously did not have any motivation to point out there were parts not completed by her husband.
Sussmayr completed his contribution within two months of Mozart’s death, and his version has become the standard version of the score. However, several other composers have done their own “completions” since that time, including those by Franz Beyer, Richard Maunder, and Robert Levin. However, it is the Sussmayr version that is most often heard and recorded. The Requiem is divided into eight sections as follows:
I. Introitus
a. Requiem aeternam
II. Kyrie
III. Sequentia
a. Dies irae
b. Tuba mirum
c. Rex tremendae
d. Recordare
e. Confutatis
f. Lacrymosa
IV. Offertorium
a. Domine Jesu
b. Hostias
V. Sanctus
VI. Benedictus
VII. Agnus Dei
VIII. Communio
a. Lux aeterna
b. Cum sanctis tuis
Sussmayr later claimed the Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei as his own. If you listen carefully, you can notice a difference in style and mood beginning with the Sanctus that reflects a hand other than Mozart’s. All sections from the Sanctus to the end are not in Mozart’s manuscript. Each section is ended with a fugue (a fugue is a contrapuntal composition in which a short melody or phrase is introduced by one part and successively taken up by others and developed by interweaving the parts), except at the end of the Lacrymosa. Mozart did write an “Amen” fugue, but some scholars insist it was written for a different piece. Others have argued for including it at the end of the Lacrymosa.
Mozart’s Requiem has always been held in high esteem, and its iconic status has only increased through the centuries. The piece begins with dark, somber, and foreboding tones it is the vocal writing that drives the score. The orchestra accompanies the vocal line with darker themes that are often very vivid and memorable. For example, the trombone in the Tuba Mirum, the fiery bass string accompaniment to the Confutatis, and the sighing phrases in the Lacrymosa give the listener cues to the meaning in the text.
Turning back for a moment to the play and movie Amadeus, its creator Peter Schaffer fully admitted to his story not being an accurate biographical picture of the musical genius. It is a work of fiction. Some aspects of Mozart’s character and personality were apparently portrayed accurately, such as his juvenile sense of humor, his crassness, and his enjoyment of dancing and drinking. However, Schaffer’s portrayal of his rival Salieri, while interesting, is not accurate. The story concocted around Salieri’s jealousy at Mozart’s genius has no basis in fact. They certainly knew each other, and there was some rivalry between the two for certain positions, but Schaffer stretches the truth. In any case, it is an entertaining story.
The Recording
The recording here is by the Dunedin Consort led by John Butt. The Dunedin Consort is a Scottish baroque ensemble formed in 1995, and based in Edinburgh. They perform on period instruments, and often use smaller than usual choral forces (in this recording only 16 voices). One of their main goals is to recreate music from the Baroque and Classical periods as it was originally intended to be performed. That is one of the hallmarks of their recording of Mozart’s Requiem, as they use scholar David Black’s latest edition of Sussmayr’s completion. Thus the Dunedin Consort claims to be performing the piece as it was originally performed.
To me, the authenticity claims don’t really matter. In the end, this is the finest recording of Mozart’s Requiem regardless of whether it recreates the original performance or not. The recording won the Gramophone magazine 2014 recording of the year in the choral category, and was also nominated for a Grammy award. First, the sound is top notch from Linn Records with a realistic yet intimate acoustic picture. Second, the soloists range from very good to outstanding. There is an emphasis on tonal purity and lack of vibrato, which for me is appropriate for the piece. I particularly enjoy the soprano Joanne Lunn and bass Matthew Brook, but all the soloists do a fine job. Third, the choral parts are sung with reverence, passion, and attention to detail. The way the voices blend perfectly and in tune is stunningly beautiful, and must be heard to be appreciated. Fourth, the orchestra is on point and follows meticulously the dynamics in the score. The individual contributions from specific instruments can be heard very well. Finally, John Butt’s direction carries a vision that clearly the entire enterprise is invested in following that creates a brilliant production. Butt’s attention to detail and his goal of cutting through the dense fog you hear in many Requiem recordings leads to several viscerally thrilling moments. Climaxes and hushed passages are equally impressive, and you never have the feeling that the orchestra and chorus are smaller than normal This is a “weighty” performance in the best sense, and it just feels “right”.
Most importantly, this Requiem leaves a distinct impression on the listener. It is one I will return to often I am sure, and I highly recommend it. Other recordings I have enjoyed of Mozart’s Requiem that you may want to hear include:
John Eliot Gardiner leading the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists and all-star soloists Barbara Bonney, Anne Sofie Von Otter, Hans Peter Blochwitz, and Willard White on the Archiv/Decca label.
Martin Pearlman leading Boston Baroque in a recording that uses the Levin completion, on the Telarc label.
Sir Georg Solti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic, the Vienna State Opera Chorus, and with lovely contributions from soloists Arleen Auger, Cecilia Bartoli, Vinson Cole, and Rene Pape on the Decca label.
______________________________________
Brennan, Gerald. Schrott, Allen. Woodstra, Chris. All Music Guide to Classical Music, The Definitive Guide. All Media Guide. Pp. 884, 905-906. Backbeat Books, San Francisco. 2005.
Kozinn, Allan. The New York Times Essential Library Classical Music, A Critic’s Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings. Pp. 70-72. Times Books. Henry Holt and Company. New York. 2004.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunedin_Consort