There are many fine recordings of Benjamin Britten's historically important War Requiem.
Most should start with Britten's own account, with the composer at the podium. Its political overtones are ably brought to the fore there, plus Britten was a fine conductor in his own right.
After that, I would point out Hickox's on Chandos as a strong second portrayal, where I really enjoy the participation of soloists Philip Langridge and John Shirley-Quirk.
Here, Noseda takes an energetically operatic approach, full of wide dynamics and sharp edges. Subtlety is not on hand, yet there is plenty of atmosphere to enjoy considering the rather dry acoustic of the Barbican. Released around the same time as Noseda's, Antonio Pappano makes a similar charge at the music on Warner.
The white LSO first release was on SACD, while the Alto Records reissue is on CD only.
Benjamin Britten’s modernist masterpiece, War Requiem, is a stark picture of the horrors of history, particularly through the WWI trench-warfare poetry of Wilfred Owen, opposite direct Latin sequences from the Requiem Mass of the Dead, and Britten’s own political stance following the destruction from WWII that encapsulates his musical portrayal of reconciliation in our time.
Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda’s interpretation of War Requiem is princely, if not decidedly different than Britten’s own. Among the positives are the London Symphony Chorus, who of course sings thrillingly in the loudest, most dramatic passages, but it is their quietest portions which are sung with such emphatic energy, that it takes much of the chorus music away from Britten’s conciliatory supplication and more toward Italianate high drama. The LSO is no slouch either, they follow Noseda’s extreme dynamics willingly (more on that later), but is caught most virtuosically with the percussion really having a clear impact. The boy’s chorus is satisfyingly offset spatially from the rest of the performers, but thankfully they are also heard quite clearly on this recording.
I am actually quite enthusiastic regarding the soloists. I was initially worried about wobble from Slovenian soprano Sabina Cvilak, but she is actually well-controlled vocally, and quite pointed in sound; much fresher than is typical of the part. I am generally not a fan of Ian Bostridge’s stereotypical English tenor, but I was thrilled by his singing here. A fluting timbre, he is more in the mould of Britten’s Peter Pears, a style which suits these dramatic, wordy texts. Simon Keenlyside is a more robust, soldiering baritone, but combines with the opposing tenor remarkably well for their harmonized interminglings. All soloists are captured up close and personal, the soprano not particularly separated from the rest.
The Barbican Centre has its plusses and minuses as a performance venue, although the dryness is not a limiting factor to this modern music and helps all of the instrumental voices speak particularly well. However, Noseda’s extreme dynamic range is really tough on home speakers, for the quietest passages need volume control from the listener to be heard properly, as will the loudest portions which will upset the neighbor’s dogs and any sleeping babies. This sound scale works much better on headphones, aside from the very opening choral invocations which still seem too quiet to be adequately heard, regardless of the close adherence to Britten’s dynamic instructions. That said, Noseda has a very exciting, operatic portrayal of this music, again decidedly different than Britten’s conception, but withstands his theatrical treatment and is well sung and played across the board.
The prime recording of War Requiem remains Benjamin Britten’s own from the 1960’s, a recording that remains in pretty good stereo sound on Decca . Britten’s pacifist agenda is keenly observed there, most notably from the English, German, and Russian soloists, with Pears in tip-top form (even better with Giulini on BBC), Fischer-Dieskau in odd-sounding English, and Vishnevskaya, who I always thought was an acquired taste. The LSO from 50 years prior is not as tight an ensemble as in Noseda’s, but the occasion is most apparent. Further recommendations include excellent renditions by an impactful Hickox on Chandos and Pappano on Warner Classics , another Italianate interpretation that includes Ian Bostridge. For a more soulful approach, Kurt Masur recorded War Requiem twice, the second with the LPO edges out his NYPO version, but both are reflective in nature.
There are two version of this Noseda recording: The original LSO Live SACD and a reissue seven years later on Alto Records on regular old CD. On both versions, War Requiem is most appreciably split into 26 separate tracks, a huge number of tracks compared to most recordings, but could be cumbersome if you are downloading. Also, the Alto reissue includes no printed texts, none of the production pictures, and different, but sufficient liner notes compared to the original LSO release. Go for the LSO Live version!
Britten’s musical language won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but it is easily the apex of 20th Century musical soul-searching regarding warfare in a very moving, dramatic realization of the coming together of mankind and modern religion. I really like this interpretation of Britten’s War Requiem, it has excellent choral sound, colourful orchestral effects, really good solo singing, and a forthright energy that won’t be to everyone’s tastes compared to Britten's original. The wide dynamic range works better on headphones than speakers, but if you don’t mind fiddling with the remote, it works well enough.
Works
War Requiem, op. 66
Soloists
Savina Cvilak, soprano
Ian Bostridge, tenor
Simon Keenlyside, baritone
Performers
Eltham College Choir
London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
Gianandrea Noseda, conductor
Label: LSO / Alto
Year: 2012; 2018
Total Timing: 83.48
Noseda's is an exciting account of Britten's War Requiem, startlingly similar to Pappano's account, which came out around the same time.
Very different from the composer's own performance though, yet we are far enough removed generationally from the original to appreciate a different approach, methinks.
For me, a terrific account of Britten's important choral work.
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