Antonin Dvorak - Requiem & Mass in D (Kertesz/Preston)

Antonin DVORAK ()

Requiem, Op.89

Pilar Lorengar (soprano), 

Erszebet Komlossy (mezzo-soprano) 

Róbert Ilosfalvy (tenor) 

Tom Krause (baritone)

Ambrosian Singers 

London Symphony Orchestra

Istvan Kertesz

Recorded: 1968-12-14

Recording Venue: Kingsway Hall, London

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Mass In D Major, Op.86 (B175)

Neil Ritchie (treble)

Andrew Giles (alto)

Alan Byers (tenor)

Robert Morton (bass (vocal) 

Nicholas Cleobury (organ)

Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford

Simon Preston

Recorded: 1974-04-10

Recording Venue: The Chapel of Merton College, Oxford

Kertész's Requiem dates from 1968 and on all counts but one, it surpasses Karel Ancerl's classic 1959 set, reissued on DG in 1995 and coupled with Fischer-Dieskau's 1960 set of Dvorák's Bibli-cal Songs with Jörg Demus. The exception is the rather too soft-grained singing of Pilar Lorengar as compared with the clear, more vibrant soprano of Maria Stader. But Lorengar's singing is particularly sensitive and appealing in the quieter passages.

The lovely quality of Robert Ilosfalvy's voice tells beautifully in 'Liber scriptus proferetur' and in the opening section of the quartet, 'Recordare, Jesu pie'. Dvorák distributes short passages among the soloists impartially. They combine beautifully in the quartet, and the chorus with them in 'Pie Jesu Domine'. The hero of the occasion is Kertész. He gets choral singing and orchestral playing of the finest quality. It's abundantly evident that he cherishes a great love for this work.

The Mass in D (sung in the original version with organ) sits well with the Requiem; Simon Preston produces a fine, well-balanced performance, with the Christ Church choristers on excellent form