LPO, Neeme Jarvi, Soloists - Antonin Dvorak: Requiem, Op.89/B 165 (2009) 2 CDs

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LPO, Neeme Jarvi, Soloists - Antonin Dvorak: Requiem, Op.89/B 165 (2009) 2 CDs

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LPO, Neeme Jarvi, Soloists - Antonin Dvorak: Requiem, Op.89/B 165 (2009) 2 CDs

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The classic recorded performance of Dvořák’s Requiem, Karel Ančerl’s with international soloists and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, is now all of half a century old. It has found a place intermittently in the catalogue, and held one permanently in the affections of those who admire this uneven but moving work. Ančerl’s understanding of all that went into the music remains unrivalled, and even though the Supraphon recording quality of 1959 has been overtaken by subtler techniques, there is something uniquely haunting in, for instance, the grave intensity of the opening string theme and the bite of the brass in the “Dies irae”.

Others, notably Kertész and Sawallisch, have given smoother performances and been given richer recordings; and this new version from Neeme Järvi, recorded live at the Festival Hall, certainly does more detailed justice to Dvořák’s eloquent orchestration. Not the least of the problems for conductor, soloists and indeed recording engineers is his love of writing for the four soloists as a quartet, for instance in the “Recordare” and the “Pie Jesu”. This is not a work for soloistic egoism, beautifully though Lisa Milne sings in the Gradual and again with the contralto Karen Cargill in the repeated “salva me” at the end of the “Quid sum miser”, as does Peter Rose in the anguished calls of the bass in the “Lacrimosa”.

But this is essentially an ensemble work, and one of Neeme Järvi’s great strengths lies in allowing the excellent choir to sing with what sounds like an almost improvisatory fluency, though it is of course the product of a deep understanding and watchful control of Dvořák’s melodic lines. These can be unexpected; the music here sounds natural and always expressive. Järvi makes his points without labouring them. The heavy rhythms of the “Dies irae” are far more telling than over-emphatic thumping; the touch of harshness at the opening of the “Tuba mirum” exactly reflects the intention of the music; in the “Pie Jesu” there is grace and gentleness that never lapses towards sentimentality. Even if there is something grittier and more heartfelt in the old Ančerl version, this new one is no less true to a remarkable setting of the ancient words.

Review by John Warrack, Gramophone

This concert performance from the Royal Festival Hall was indeed a notable event, marking the LPO’s first ever performance of the work! Its comparative neglect is puzzling, as this late Dvořák masterpiece (written for the 1891 Birmingham Festival) is fully the equal of Read more Tuba mirum as a wonderfully inspired strophic tune to a hauntingly restless woodwind ostinato (but no brass in sight!), or the Pleni sunt caeli ’s painting in delicate chromatic pastels. The large-scale construction is highly effective in its tight unification by a pervasive circling chromatic motive, previously used in the overture Othello and later taken up by Suk in his “Asrael” Symphony. There are also some significant reminiscences of the first movement of the recently composed Eighth Symphony.

Recordings have not been plentiful: two classic accounts from the analog era, by Ančerl (Supraphon, 1959) and Kertész (Decca, 1968), as well as more recent versions by Košler and Sawallisch. I have not heard the latter two, but am happy to report that the new performance is, at the very least, a viable alternative to the two classics, and in many respects preferable to either. Some of Järvi’s recordings have in the past impressed me more for their businesslike efficiency than real imaginative insight, but here he leads a gripping performance of great refinement and drama. He is lighter on his feet than his rivals, knocking 10 minutes off Kertész’s total time, and nearly 12 off Ančerl’s, though he never feels rushed or superficial. There is great power where called for, e.g., in the terrifying Gothic vision of the Dies irae , and a volatile excitement to the Quam olim Abrahae fugue that leaves his distinguished rivals in the dust.

Surprisingly, the alert, focused London choral singing in 2009 outclasses Prague 1959 (heavy, beefy) and London 1968 (hearty, more operatic). Järvi also has the best all-round team of soloists. Ančerl’s tenor and bass are wonderful, but his soprano and mezzo have an unappealing Slavonic heaviness; Kertész’s quartet is characterful, rather operatic, but less well blended in ensemble. There is an odd quirk of pronunciation: Järvi has his singers pronounce “qu,” as in “requiem,” in the Germanic way, as “qv”—no harm in it, though to my ears it sits rather oddly with his all-Anglo-Saxon vocal forces. As you would expect, the Ančerl and Kertész versions come into their own in the superbly characterful orchestral response of the Czech Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra in their vintage prime; for all its expertise and commitment, today’s London Philharmonic doesn’t quite possess that level of individuality (but then, who does?).

The recording has a natural hall perspective, with less bite and immediacy than the closer-miked vintage analog productions, but it really springs to life with a slight volume boost. The sense of occasion is vividly communicated, the rapt audience rarely audible until its burst of enthusiastic applause at the end. A very welcome addition to the work’s too-sparse discography, and enthusiastically recommended.

Review by Boyd Pomeroy, Fanfare

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LPO, Neeme Jarvi, Soloists - Antonin Dvorak: Requiem, Op.89/B 165 (2009) 2 CDs

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LPO, Neeme Jarvi, Soloists - Antonin Dvorak: Requiem, Op.89/B 165 (2009) 2 CDs

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LPO, Neeme Jarvi, Soloists - Antonin Dvorak: Requiem, Op.89/B 165 (2009) 2 CDs

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LPO, Neeme Jarvi, Soloists - Antonin Dvorak: Requiem, Op.89/B 165 (2009) 2 CDs

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