John Smyth asked for advance word on the soon-to-be-released Telarc/Robert Spano sourround recording of the Berlioz Requiem with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and tenor Frank Lopardo. I sang in the chorus and wrote the booklet notes for this recording. We expect it to be spectacular. There are others on this list who heard that weekend's performances in the audience; it would be interesting to hear their reactions. The forces were recorded mostly in the same positions they occupied for the performances: timpani and tam-tams across the front of the stage, directly behind the conductor's back; the 4 brass ensembles at the two downstage corners of the stage and the two forward corners of the lower balcony; the chorus onstage behind the orchestra. The tenor soloist was moved to the rear of the lower balcony. Not only was the racket deafening in the performances, but we noticed that the orchestral ensemble was especially tight, particularly within and between the far-flung brass groups. One musically knowledgeable chorister opined that this would be the most "chamber-music" Berlioz Requiem ever - in terms of close ensemble playing, though obviously not in terms of scale and intimacy. By the way, I discovered yesterday that Telarc is currently taking advance orders for the 2-channel CD version at a discounted price of US$14.99 on their website: http://www.telarc.com/Classical/title.asp?sku=CD-80627. They also are offering discounts on Spano's other ASO/Telarc recordings. (No mention of a discount on the SACD version, which of course you would need in order to hear the brass in surround sound.) We're looking forward in Atlanta to recording choral works during the coming season by Osvaldo Golijov, John Adams, Christopher Theofanidis, and David Del Tredici. The latter two will be world premieres of ASO-commissioned works. Nick Jones Program Annotator Atlanta Symphony Orchestra