Verdi - Requiem - Gheorghiu, Alagna, Barcellona, Konstantinov - Abbado 2001Performer: Julian Konstantinov, Daniela Barcellona, Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu
Conductor: Claudio Abbado
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Swedish Radio Chorus, Eric Ericson Chamber Choir
Filmed during performances commemorating the centenary of Verdi's death, 25 & 27 January 2001
For its sheer power and its precise balance of the two visions (epic and personal) embodied in Verdi's masterpiece, this is the Requiem to have. It would be hard to quarrel with anyone who chooses Leontyne Price in the 1967 Herbert von Karajan recording over Angela Gheorghiu, or Luciano Pavarotti over Roberto Alagna; the differences are slight and a matter of personal taste. But this is the most intensely dramatic of Verdi's works, including no less a climax than the flaming end of the world, and Claudio Abbado treats the composer's vision even more powerfully than von Karajan, with a magnificent orchestra and chorus at his disposal. --Amazon
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