Your favourite Requiem ?

[m10]

The variety of different approaches to the Requiem is incredible - an endless source of fascination. Don't forget the "other masses"- Beethoven's Missa Solemnis is the equal of any in scale, majesty and power. If you like this kind of big choir, soloists and orchestra spectacular you probably shouldn't miss Mahler's Eighth symphony.

The Fauré, of course a much more subdued and contemplative affair. If you were to consult The Gramophone, they'd probably steer you towards a chamber-sized performance rather than the supposedly discredited orchestral version. However, I have a real soft spot for the Charles Dutoit recording on Decca with the Montreal Symphony and chorus with Kiri Te Kanawa and Sherrill Milnes (although I should probably revisit the Willocks HMV LP for the sake of contrast). The Dutoit is a beautiful, serene performance in spectacular sound.

[pimlicoquad]

Yes, do include the large church masses in your search. Beethhoven's Missa Solemnis gets another recommendation, as do the Haydn Masses (Creation, Nelson etc). But for a real revelation try Schubert - start at the end with his Mass No. 6 in E flat - there are some extraordinary moments which look forward to much later music. The opening of the Sanctus is just one with some spine-tingling modulationts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SApA...3EC8A75A626D00

And then Bach's St. Matthew Passion and B minor Mass, and the list goes on...But for a Requiem, it has to be Britten's War Requiem (in the original Decca recording with Britten conducting).

[shane]

Can I put in a word here for John Foulds' World Requiem?

Written after WW1, it's a gargantuan piece that was the centrepiece of the Remembrance Day ceremonial from 1923 to 1926, but fell out of favour after that and wasn't performed again for 81 years. Then in 2007 it was revived by the BBC and I heard it on a drive back from Swindon to Plymouth. It was quite simply astonishing.

More info here, previewing the BBC concert: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/pe...em-399338.html

To my surprise, it's available on SACD here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Foulds-World.../dp/B000ZBPPXQ

I've also got it as a FLAC file (300+ mb!), which with a bit of head scratching I could put on Dropbox if anyone's interested.

There a YouTube excerpt here:

[jandl100]

A bit of thread resurrection --- I've just come across a site that lists around 5,000 requiems!

http://www.requiemsurvey.org/requiems.php