A few days ago I posted a request to list patrons for recommendations
for a good recording of the Verdi Requiem.  Thank you to those of you
who replied.  Since that time I have discovered the Classical Digest
Archives (where I plan to spend a lot of time in the future;
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/classical.html).  Under "Verdi
Requiem" I found 83 postings.  I read all 83;  I now know a lot more
about Requiem recordings than I did yersterday.   In the process I kept
a running tabulation of how many times each recording was recommended
by someone.  I post to you the result of my several interesting hours.
My system was not scientific, and some of my results may even by
misleading.  For example, both Solti and Toscanini recorded the Requiem
at least twice.  Often a recommender says "I prefer the Solti over all
the rest" but doesn't specify which one.  That problem recurred (with
various conductors) repeatedly.  Nevertheless, here are my results.
Listed by conductor.  The number represents the number of
recommendations for that recording.  (NOTE: I haven't bothered with
checking spellings;  I wrote the names in shorthand)

Giulini 12
Solti (L. Price;  some confusion here;  see above) 11
Fricsay (an older 1953? recording, but often mentioned) 8
Muti 6
Reiner 5
Solti (Sutherland) 4
Shaw 4
Serafin 3
Naxos (no performers mentioned;  it's new I think; several writers
                praised it but it was only first choice for) 2
Markevitch 2
Toscannini 2
Barenboim  2
Abaddo 1
Hickox 1
Lombard (Musical Heritage Soc.?) 1
Karajan (video) 1
Gardiner 1

The following were mentioned (in addition to those listed above) but never
recommended:  Ormandy, Colin Davis.

The following were mentioned only negatively:  Barbaroli, Bernstein If
numbers count, then the Giulini is the farorite.  I did it mostly for my
own interest, and share it with you for whatever it's worth.  So far, I'm
inclined toward the Soli/L Price--mostly because I think I'd rather listen
to Price than Schwarzkopf (Giulini's soprano).

Roy Ellefsen
De gustibus non est disputandum