Peter Davis 2006-04-23

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Sir Colin Davis (I hope he's as good a person as he is a conductor)
does a great job on this recording... the 'Qui tollis' from the Gloria
of the C-Minor Mass in particular is conducted in a way that penetrates
the heart (the listener can hear the harmonic progressions unfold in
a slow and weighty manner that is not hindered by baroque instrumentation...
i.e... I prefer it without baroque instrumentation because I think Mozart's Choral
Works are better romantisized then baroquesized) ... I hope that makes some kind
of sense. My only complaint on this recording is the tenor isn't loud enough in
the overall balance with the other two soloists.. but hey... it's an old recording (I think
it dates back to either the late 60s or early 70s so I'll give Phillips a break... This CD is definetely worth your money if you're looking for an introduction to Mozart's Choral Works.

Sterling J 2004-11-15

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

I had hoped to see the reviews of others with regard to this performance of the requiem. I had this title on 8-track, cassette tape, LP and finally on CD. I've heard other performances of this work and didn't really care for many aspects of these recordings. I worked in a CD specialty store that had a huge selection of Classical and the ability to sample all of our inventory. Something about these newer, often digitally superior sounding recordings always seems off to me, phrasing, soloists, choir, sound, tempo or something. I like the Davis best. I've been looking for the opinions of others with regard to other works and hoped to see others here of this one to gauge my perceptions of this recording by. Guess I'll have to start the ball rolling by being first to offer my opinion. Only thing that detracts would be the age of the recording leaving it with dated sound, well made up for by the great performance though.

Andy Williamson 2002-10-19

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

At this price, this set is a steal. You get two discs packed with amazing music-immortal music. For those of you who have seen "Amadeus" you will recognize some of the music quickly. My favorite is the "Coronation Mass in C" K317 (which I performed in Carnegie Hall in May 1992) and the famous "Requiem". It is mindblowing to think that so much organizational skill could be wrapped up in one single mind. Mozart was a truly amazing individual. This is a good set for the person who is not obsessed with classical music, yet wants to have some of the best of it at a bargain price.

Essential.