Karl Böhm is presented with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in this 1956 recording of the Requiem in D minor, K. 526, a historic recording on Archipel that should not be mistaken for the 1955 recording reissued on Orfeo with the same conductor and chorus, but with the Vienna Philharmonic and a different quartet of vocal soloists. One of the great Mozart conductors of the twentieth century, Böhm was inclined to bring out the pathos and tenderness of the Requiem over its drama, so this soulful interpretation tends toward the ...
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Karl Böhm is presented with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in this 1956 recording of the Requiem in D minor, K. 526, a historic recording on Archipel that should not be mistaken for the 1955 recording reissued on Orfeo with the same conductor and chorus, but with the Vienna Philharmonic and a different quartet of vocal soloists. One of the great Mozart conductors of the twentieth century, Böhm was inclined to bring out the pathos and tenderness of the Requiem over its drama, so this soulful interpretation tends toward the gentle side, with lingering tempos and long-breathed phrases that emphasize the melancholy of the work, rather than dread of the grave or terror of the Last Judgment. Of course, slower tempos mean that the singing requires greater breath control, and in some spots soprano Teresa Stich-Randall, contralto Ira Malaniuk, tenor Waldemar Kmentt, and bass Kurt Böhme have to exert a bit of effort to sustain their longest notes. There is also a pronounced feeling of sluggishness in the faster...
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