As we count down the days to Giuseppe Verdi‘s 200th birthday and our performance and simulcast of his Requiem led by Riccardo Muti, here are all of the recordings of the work by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
Our eighth music director, Sir Georg Solti, was the first to commercially record Verdi’s Requiem. The work was recorded in Medinah Temple on June 1 and 2, 1977.
The soloists were Leontyne Price, soprano; Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano; Veriano Luchetti, tenor; and José van Dam, bass-baritone. The Chicago Symphony Chorus was prepared by Margaret Hillis.
Thomas Z. Shepard produced the recording, and Paul Goodman was the engineer for RCA (this was one of the few records Solti made independent of London/Decca). The recording won the 1977 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance (other than opera) from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Ninth music director Daniel Barenboim led recording sessions for Verdi’s Requiem on September 20 and 21, 1993, in Orchestra Hall.
Soloists included Alessandra Marc, soprano; Waltraud Meier, mezzo-soprano; Plácido Domingo, tenor; and Ferruccio Furlanetto, bass. The Chicago Symphony Chorus was prepared by Margaret Hillis.
Martin Sauer produced the recording; Jean Chatauret was the sound engineer, assisted by Christopher Willis; and Martine Guers was the editor for Erato.
In his first concerts at the CSO’s music director designate, Riccardo Muti led performances of Verdi’s Requiem at Orchestra Hall on January 15, 16, and 17, 2009. The performances were recorded live for CSO Resound.
The soloists were Barbara Frittoli, soprano; Olga Borodina, mezzo-soprano; Mario Zeffiri, tenor; and Ildar Abdrazakov, bass. The Chicago Symphony Chorus was prepared by Duain Wolfe.
Christopher Adler produced the recording, and Christopher Willis was the recording engineer. David Frost and Tom Lazarus did the mixing, and Frost and Silas Brown performed the stereo mastering. The recording won 2010 Grammy Awards for Best Classical Album and Best Choral Performance from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
But wait, there’s more . . .
Fritz Reiner, the CSO’s sixth music director, led performances of the Requiem at Orchestra Hall on April 3 and 4, 1958. Soloists included Leonie Rysanek, soprano; Regina Resnik, mezzo-soprano; David Lloyd, tenor; and Giorgio Tozzi, bass. The Chicago Symphony Chorus—in their second subscription concert appearances—was prepared by Margaret Hillis.
The March 4 performance was recorded for radio broadcast and since then, it has surfaced on a variety of unauthorized releases. An Italian release on Melodram in 1986 even mistakenly labeled the LP jacket as “Orchestra e Coro: Chicago Lyric Opera.” Most recently, we have seen it on a CD release from Archipel. Unfortunately, the sound quality on both is not great, even though it does provide an interesting snapshot of Reiner’s interpretation of the work, not to mention the sound of a very young Chicago Symphony Chorus.
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March 19, 2018 at 7:57 AM
Chicago Symphony Chorus Grammy Awards | from the archives
[…] – Best Choral Performance–Classical VERDI Requiem Sir Georg Solti, conductor Leontyne Price, soprano Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano Veriano Luchetti, […]
January 18, 2018 at 3:18 PM
Happy birthday, Plácido Domingo! | from the archives
[…] VERDI Requiem Recorded in Orchestra Hall on September 20 and 21, 1993 Daniel Barenboim, conductor Alessandra Marc, soprano Waltraud Meier, mezzo-soprano Plácido Domingo, tenor Ferruccio Furlanetto, bass Chicago Symphony Chorus Margaret Hillis, director Erato (Verdi’s Requiem was performed on September 17, 18, 23, and 25, 1993, with Vicente Ombuena singing the tenor solos; Domingo was in Chicago only on September 20.) […]
October 5, 2013 at 10:31 AM
Peter Knudsvig
This post triggered recollection of a trumpet lesson with Bud Herseth in the basement of orchestra hall in early 1974. Discussion of Verdi’s Reqium prompted a comment from Bud concerning the Reiner performance with the CSO. This led to a discussion of the CSO’s heritage in general and Reiner’s role, in particular. Bud then shared a story about a recent conversation he had with a longtime CSO patron who had grown up listening to the CSO and after living elsewhere for many years, had recently returned to the Chicago area and had just attended his first CSO concert in more than a decade. The man congratulated Bud and made the comment that he could hear the orchestra “is still” and at this point, bud interrupted his narrative to say that he thought the man was going to say: ” is still Fritz Reiner’s orchestra” but instead, the man said: “is still Frederic Stock’s orchestra”.
Peter Knudsvig
Rekkenze Brass
October 5, 2013 at 12:31 PM
Frank Villella
Dear Peter – what a great story. Thank you for sharing!
October 5, 2013 at 4:33 PM
Peter knudsvig
Bitte schon!