Kurt Masur had many competitors but only two real challengers in his 2005 recording of Britten's War Requiem: Britten's 1963 recording and his own 1998 recording. Britten, of course, was also the work's composer, and his powerful, soulful, and overwhelmingly moving recording remains the definitive realization of his intentions. Masur, while not the work's composer, is a much more accomplished conductor, and his 1998 recording with the New York Philharmonic, plus three American-born soloists is arguably as powerful, as ...
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Kurt Masur had many competitors but only two real challengers in his 2005 recording of Britten's War Requiem: Britten's 1963 recording and his own 1998 recording. Britten, of course, was also the work's composer, and his powerful, soulful, and overwhelmingly moving recording remains the definitive realization of his intentions. Masur, while not the work's composer, is a much more accomplished conductor, and his 1998 recording with the New York Philharmonic, plus three American-born soloists is arguably as powerful, as soulful, and in its way nearly as moving as Britten's. So how does his 2005 recording with the London Philharmonic plus three British-born soloists compare with his 1998 New York recording? Masur's performance from 2005 sounds less powerful -- his tempos are broader, and his textures are heavier -- and less soulful -- the soloists, while no less skillful and dedicated, are less immediately engaging -- but perhaps more moving. Masur, older and less robust than he once was, sounds here more...
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