Marriner has a closer presence, whilst the Herreweghe is more distant.
One almost has to strain to hear Herreweghe's performance.  Marriner's lead
vocalists are much crisper, cleaner, and full-throated.  The chorus and
instrumentalists blend well in both, but Marriner's seem better balanced.
Marriner's Introitus sets a faster tempo than Herreweghe, perhaps a little
too fast, but very Mozartean tempo.  I didn't compare times, but Marriner
certainly seems a tad bit snappier.  Neither's Dies Irae sounds as grave as
it should.  Marriner's Tuba mea harmonizes the tuba and baritone to match
perfectly the sense of the Proper.  Herreweghe's lead singers don't hand
off each other's parts as well as Marriner's.  Again, Marriner's transition
in the Tuba mea from tenor to alto is seamless, the baritone and soprano
boldly situating the change of energy perfectly.  The Rex tremendae, a
powerful segue, requires an adroit balance between subtle angelicism and
a sense of terror.  Herreweghe leads to well here, although the distance
of sound undermines the tremor one should feel at the tremendae majestatis.
The rest of the Sequence hymn is sung superbly by Sylvia McNair, and the
duets between her and tenor Francisco Araiza are often pure chromaticism.
What Herreweghe lacks in his lead singers he makes up by his Orchestra des
Champe Elysees.  By the Sequence, Herreweghe begins to sound a bit closer,
more intimate, less ostentatious than the Marriner.  But it doesn't quite
sound like Mozart the way Marriner does.  And this leads us to the problem
about the Requiem itself.  It's a sketch with Mozart's best of intentions
left incomplete and filled in by Sussmayr.  Marriner sides with the Mozart
in the pieces, while Herreweghe seems to favor Sussmayrs emendations and
coloratura.  This, in the final analysis makes both these performances
worthwhile.  For my favorite Requiem, I recommend Bruno Walter on Sony.

Stephen Heersink
San Francisco
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