Reiner's famous 1959 recording has plenty of glorious vocalising but is marred by engineering tricks
Fritz Reiner's 1959 recording of the Verdi Requiem can be summarized: slow tempos, great singing, and really bizarre sound engineering.

At 97 minutes, this is one of the slowest Verdi Requiems on disc. By comparison, the Georg Solti-Leontyne Price CD is 81'32". From the CDs I've heard, only Sergiu Celibidache's 102" performance is slower.

Reiner opens with probably the slowest Introitus-Kyrie ever heard: 12'18" (Solti-Price 8'31"). But as in the Celibidache performance, the slow tempo really works. The solo entrances in the Kyrie are just magnificent. The choral work is awesome.

The other significantly slower movement is the Offertorio: 12'17" (Solti-Price 9'55"). This is even slower than Celidibache! But like the Introitus-Kyrie, the effect is unforgettable. The Offertorio begins with one of the smoothest, silkiest renditions of the cello intro I've ever heard in this movement - you will love it! The solo interplay between these four unique artists turns this movement into a mini-operatic scene that will overwhelm you.

I guess I've already segued into the fine singing. I liked Leontyne Price in the 1977 recording with Solti, but I think she sounds a bit cleaner here. Her downward swoops seem more controlled, and she doesn't get so ugly right before the Libera Me fugue. Also, I noticed she is miked a bit louder than the other soloists.

Rosalind Elias is definitely one of my favorite Verdi Requiem mezzos (along with Waltraud Meier and Agnes Baltsa). Her voice is tailor-made for Verdi, and she has a lot of power.

Price and Elias are gorgeous together in the Recordare, and are wonderfully passionate in the Agnus Dei. Jussi Bjorling really belts out the high B flats in the Ingemisco. But generally he tends slightly more toward the lyrical Gedda-Araiza sound rather than the all-out theatrics of Luchetti or Cosutta.

Giorgio Tozzi has a little bit of "Robert Merrill" in his sound; the resonance really makes for an effective Confutatis. And Tozzi practically turns Lux Aeterna into a bass aria with accompaniment.

The Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde chorus is quite good, but they are often hampered by the way they were recorded. But this gets into my third point: the sound engineering.

When I first heard the thunderous Dies Irae, I was so impressed that I was certain this was going to be one of the best engineered Verdi Requiems ever. But the longer I listened, the more it sounded like a manufactured sound.

I believe the "great" sound of the Dies Irae is actually some kind of artificial reverberation effect that may have been applied to the master. In the solo moments, you don't hear anywhere near the amount of reverb you hear in the bass drum and the big choral moments.

The reverb makes for some spectacular brass choir effects. But unfortunately, it spoils some of the choral work. In the Sanctus fugue, the individual lines in the chorus seem unusually muddy and indistinct. The Libera Me fugue fares a bit better, but it is still hurt by uneven balance (the tenors are sometimes totally lost).

Then there is the totally bizarre phenomenon in the "Requiem Aeternam" portion of Libera Me (CD 2, Track 6). At 1'56" into the track, you will hear a drop in pitch among solo and orchestra that is microscopic but still noticeable. This drop in pitch continues on. At 2'47" you will hear what seems to be a serious intonation problem; but I'm guessing it's another pitch fluctuation in the recording. But the most blatant change, unfortunately, is the soprano's climactic high B-flat (3'29"). When she does the low B-flat, you will hear the recording pitch upwards; you can't miss it. The high B flat that follows it is a perfect octave above the elevated note.

The filler is a terrific 1970 recording of Verdi's Quattro Pezzi Sacri featuring the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta. The Los Angeles Master Chorale (with Yvonne Minton in the cameo) is simply magnificent. The Te Deum alone will leave you breathless. The sound - unlike the Requiem - comes across as much more authentic. This wonderful recording will be sitting next to my other favorite Quattro Pezzi by the Monteverdi Choir and John Eliot Gardiner.

I'm still recommending this CD because the performance overall is so good. And there are lots of parts where the engineered sound is quite spectacular. You also get the added bonuses of a beautiful Quattro Pezzi Sacri and a budget price. This is a valuable addition to any collection.

Texts and translations included.

Wow! The most religious experience you could ever expect.
Leontyne Price is a gift from the heavens. I agree with the former Washington Post reviewer, Paul Hume: "She has no equals. Few come close." Both Ms. Price and Reiner triumph in what has to be the most remarkable reading of the Requiem. The emotionality and intelligence of their combined performances is so spellbinding and gratifying, that I am left breathless by the finish line. Bjorling, Elias and Tozzi are also at the top of their form. It is a shame that wherever they recorded it, they could not get a more immediate sound. It seems as if it is all coming to us from just a little too far off.
From the very beginning, we are on a journey that exhausts us in its intensity. How I wish I could have heard Ms. Price live. If by chance she should read this, I cannot express enough in words what I feel about her.
Even if you favor other recordings of this work, this one comes inexpensively, so add it to your library and give it at least three listens. I believe you will be converted.

Good value
I admit I bought this in haste at a bookstore when I had an urge to buy a new CD. I had already heard the 'Te Deum' from Verdi's four sacred pieces. The version I heard was Robert Shaw's 1990 recording with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.

Although this CD offers a decent recording, I can't say that it beats Shaw's. Shaw really has a nice flow to his interpretation and the vocal quality from the chorus seemed superior to this one. Nevertheless, there were a few small snippets of phrase interpretations that I preferred on this recording to Shaw's.

The requiem is a grand work. I like how Reiner treats the opening movements. The apocalypse is impressive with earth shattering blasts from the timpani, quick firing bursts of trumpets and passages that fly at break neck speeds in the string sections.

After reading the reviews online however, I think I would probably have preferred Solti's interpretation to Reiner's. So all in all, not a bad recording, especially when you consider the price. But if you want to find a truly special recording, learn from my mistake - don't buy in haste, do the research first. Enjoy!

very drammatic
This recording is one of the bests of all Verdi - Requiem. Recorded in 1959, but sound quality is very good and stereo. Wiener Philharmoniker under the baton of Fritz Reiner, played that tragic requiem with sensitiveness, very impressive. And the Choir, Wiener Musikfreunde is great, amazing performance.

I like especially:

The first movement: Kyrie is a lament, highly pathetic introduction. The 2nd mov: Dies irae (The Day of Judgement) is may be the most terrible of all Dies irae musics. When you listen that movement, you can feel as you are in hell, face to face with Devil! There is a beautiful and very famous mov: Ingemisco, for tenor solo. This is a heavenly and hopeful music. But then, inescapable reality of death comes again with Confutatis, with bass solo and the terrific reprise of Dies irae! And then, the most drammatic mov: Lacrimosa.

There is another Verdi masterpiece: Quattro pezzi sacri (Four Sacred Pieces) for a large orchestra and chorus. Especially the Te Deum is very majestic and worthy listening. The performances of Zubin Mehta and his Los Angeles Philharmonic Orc. and Chorus is very good, their sonorities are very powerful.

It has librettos of all works, too.
Highly recommended.

Bjoerling at his best
I don't know what people are talking about when they say Jussi Bjoerling was past his best in this recording. It seems that because it was his last completed commercial recording people think that he must have been old and past his prime. Nothing could be further from the truth, and this recording proves it.

This was recorded when he was 49-admittedly the voice was darker than in some of his earlier recordings, but this should not be regarded as inferior. Indeed it was beginning to open up new repertoire for him, sadly cut short by his premature death. This ingemisco is truly wonderful. Passionate yet measured, with ringing high notes, yet full evenness of tone. I don't believe any tenor could better this.

As for the others, it would be entirely remiss of me not to mention Leontyne Price as being absolutely wonderful here too. Her voice is so rich and powerful and she does everything perfectly.

The other soloists are good. Tozzi puts in an assured performance and I doubt there are many basses with such a fine, rounded tone. Rosalind Elias would perhaps be regarded as the weak link, but this merely serves to show the immensely high calibre of the tenor and soprano in particular.

I recognise the problems of the conducting pointed out by other reviewers. I would say that if you listen to the singing you can easily put this minor detail aside, and it is minor, as the brilliant singing of the soloists far outshines anything any conductor could ever do.