Ignaz Franz von Biber - Requiem in f - Pickett, New London Consort

Release Date: December 9, 1996 Label: L'oiseau Lyre Number of discs: 1 Composer: Ignaz Franz von Biber Performer: Philip Pickett,           New London Consort cd info/ buy

Review:

This performance observes this scoring in detail, except it doesn't use a second dulcian. The performance is deep, dark and committed. The soloists sing with conviction and great feelings. The ensemble of strings and brass and continuo (including two archlutes) plays this sober and expressive music with great style, beauty and sensitivity. Many may be more familiar with the great A major Requiem of Biber, which has received several excellent recordings in recent years, including those of Ton Koopmann and Jordi Savall, but the F minor Requiem is in no way inferior and in many ways, it is a more expressive work. One would be tempted to  entertain the possibility that Mozart had a passing familiarity with this work - Mozart's Requiem, too, used trombones and strings in close harmony and unison with the voices. Johann Joseph Fux's Requiem for SSATB voices in concerto, SSATB voices in capella, strings [vl 1. vl. 2, vla. 1, vla. 2, vlne.), 2 mute cornetti, 3 tromboni and organo is also similar in style and construction. The other works on this disc are: a Ballettæ à 4 (a typical occasional string work by Biber), the famous Battalia à 10 (played great precision by the strings of the NLC), the Serenada "Der Nachtwächter" and the Sonata à 6 "Die Pauern Kirchfarth genandt". These recordings are very enjoyable and a useful appendix to the other CD of sonatas by Biber and Schmelzer by the New London Consort.

 

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