Amazon.com

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 AngelaGheorghiu, 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'sworks, including no less a climax than the flaming endof the world, and Claudio Abbado treats the composer's visioneven more powerfully than von Karajan, with a magnificentorchestra and chorus at his disposal.

Von Karajan's soloists--all world-class and all in their best years--would be hard to surpass, but Abbado's are also excellent, and they sing with good tone and the kind of dramatic intensity demanded by Abbado--and Verdi. EMI's 16-page booklet sets a standard for the industry. --Joe McLellan ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Magnificent
Although I have a maximum of 1000 words, only one is needed here: magnificent.
I bought this DVD, got home, and thought I would listen to the beginning to see how it would be. Wrong thought -- there is no way to stop in the middle.
The soloists are unknown to me and they are not the big name performers as in other performances, but this doesn't matter. They set the tone that Abaddo wants.
Abaddo brings out things in the orchestra that I never heard in this requiem. The multiple choirs singing are heavenly.
As I was listening to this recording I could not help but say to myself that this is going to be the recording that everyone will be talking about -- this is an historical legend. This is one of those rare moments in life that you need to cherish. There is no way to put in words the feelings that you get listening and watching this performance. Abbado here is more than a conductor, he is an actor, and a director. He creates an atmosphere.
Give yourself a real treat and listen to/watch this DVD.

An incredible concert with an amazing sound!
Almost everything has already been said before. The orchestra and the conducting are excelent, the soloist are very good and the bright and cristal clear sound is incredible!

For those who insist on comparing it with the Karajan record, I have to say that deciding on one of them is a matter of taste, but for those who want the experience the next best thing to being there, this is the one to buy. The great sound of this recording can really bring the best out of a home theater or hifi system.

Thanks Emi for bringing us such a well produced recording of such a great occasion!

Great performance
The conducting is very good, The orchestra is excelent and Gheorghiu really shines! Alagna is not the best tenor around, but he is ok. The same aplies to Barcelona. On the other hand, Julian Konstantinov is really very bad for the Requiem... Any one who doesn't own the Karajan version, casting Pavarotti and the extraordinary Ghiaurov,Price and Cossotto, should definitelly buy that one first. But this one is the best second choice around.

Brilliant
I had the pleasure of attending Mr. Abbado's concerts number of times and I can tell you that his concerts are glorious. Unfortunately, seldom the spirit of his concerts have been successfully captured in his recordings; this DVD nevertheless, is one of those rare occasions. For those of you who inquired about his condition: Mr. Abbado was suffering from stomach cancer but as far as I know he has fully recovered. I met him in person after the opening concert in Carnegie Hall in October of 2001, and I must tell you, his frail face brought tears to my eyes.

wonderful
The conducting is the best and the soloists and choir are wonderful. I have enjoyed the concert over and over and discover something new every time I listen. If you like Verdi ,you will love this DVD,
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Amazon.com

For the 100th anniversary of Verdi's death, ClaudioAbbado, the Berlin Philharmonic, a dazzling arrayof soloists, and a virtuoso chorus produce outstandingVerdi performances. The musicians' high level ofenergy does not undermine their superb precision andpolished style. Selections from Un Ballo inMaschera, Don Carlos, Rigoletto, La Traviata, andFalstaff sample the composer's work at theheight of his powers.

One complaint: About the packaging, not theperformance. There are 13 solo singers, recruitedinternationally and listed in a group. All of themsing superbly, but the average viewer may havetrouble, at times, figuring out who is singing what.It is easy for hard-core opera lovers to identifyRamon Vargas in "Questa o quella" and "La donna emobile," and Vargas and Andrea Rost in the Brindisiand "Sempre libera" from La Traviata, butsome of the 11 others are less familiar and shouldhave been credited. --Joe McLellan ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Yes, a GALA!
The greatest orchestra, the greatest soloists and the greatest conductor (moreover one of the best specialists of Verdi), how is it possible to find something better than that? This is the highest expression of Art, as usual with Abbado and the Berliner.

Awful
This so called "Gala?" was one of the worst presentations I have ever seen and the audience must have been paid, the way they stood and applauded this third class "Gala?" I wish I could return it for a refund. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Berlioz's Te Deum remains one of the great, underplayed masterpieces ofthe romantic era. A majestic, outsized juxtaposition of human and divine, thismammoth piece for orchestra, organ, solo tenor, and three choruses has defeatedmany of the forces that have essayed it. But Claudio Abbado has always been oneto rise to a challenge, and here he leads the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestrathrough a marvelous reading of the score. From the opening call-and-response oforgan and orchestra tossing chords at one another to the thrilling massedconclusion, Abbado and his superb singers and musicians expertly captureBerlioz's every nuance. The stunning fortes are never allowed to overwhelm thequieter moments, so the piece becomes less a disjointed series of climaxes thanan integrated whole. Just listen to the hair-raising crescendos of Tibi Omnes,or the white-hot excitement of the martial Judex Crederis, for a lesson in how aprofound understanding of the music's quiet moments makes the eventual releaseall the more powerful. Only soloist José Carreras disappoints, thougheven his weak vocalizing is powerfully emotive. Rodney Greenberg's direction ofthis concert film is as lucid and unobtrusively varied as Abbado's conducting,judiciously picking out the different forces without dwelling anywhere so longso as to lose the bigger picture. The disc is filled out with an appropriatelylyrical reading of Wagner's Die Meistersinger overture. The two piecesare separately indexed, which proves somewhat frustrating. To go from one to theother requires a return to the DVD's main menu. A small hassle, though, for suchfine music making. --Bruce Reid ... Read more