Britten, "War Requiem," Carlo Maria Giulini, conductor.  IMG/BBC Legends
Series 4046-2

There are some marvelous things in the British Broadcasting Corporation's
archive of music recordings, including many works that have never appeared
on commercial disks.  Until record company IMG won a contract a few years
ago to release some of them on CD, they remained largely unheard.

So a newly available recording of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem from the
archives, conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini at London's Albert Hall in May
1969, is of course welcome - though probably only to specialist collectors.
For the War Requiem, which in less than 40 years has established itself as
one of the most popular works of the 20th century, is already well served
on disk.

Foremost is the 1963 Decca performance, conducted by Britten with the
original soloists and recorded only a year after the premiere at the new
Coventry Cathedral, built next to the ruins of the original, which was
destroyed by bombs during the war.  It's a landmark performance, and sold
over 200,000 copies within five month of its release, a huge number for a
contemporary piece.

But for those who prefer a more modern recording, there is Simon Rattle's
1984 performance on HMV with the City of Birmingham Symphony chorus and
orchestra, and soloists Elisabeth Soederstroem, Robert Tear and Thomas
Allen, also highly acclaimed.

Giulini's performance is an important one.  Britten himself was involved,
conducting the Melos Ensemble and soloists in the Wilfred Owen settings
that are interspersed with the Latin Requiem Mass.  Peter Pears, one of
the original soloists, is in fine voice.  And Giulini produces a highly
dramatic and operatic reading of the piece.  It's also, unusually, crammed
onto a single disk 80 minutes long, making the price attractive.

But there are disadvantages as well.  Baritone Hans Wilbrink can't compare
with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau on the original recording.  Even the author
of the excellent liner notes, Philip Reed, feels obliged to apologize for
the "attack of nerves [which] gets the better of him in the complex
dovetailing of the Owen settings in the Offertorium." Stefania Woytowicz
is the soprano.

This is above all a live performance, captured by a BBC broadcast as
it happened, and it's as evocative, dangerous and exciting as only live
performances can be.  But for repeated listenings, the mistakes and the
occasionally damaged two-track tape used for the transfer, can be a little
too evident.  For those new to the piece, I would choose the Britten or the
Rattle first.

Janos Gereben/SF, CA
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