Schwedischer Rundfunkchor, Berlin Philharmonic & Claudio Abbado - Mozart: Requiem (1999) [Hi-Res]

Claudio Abbado's new recording of Mozart's great Requiem is something of a throwback to pre-enlightened ("pre-authentic"? "pre-original"?) performances of Mozart. The Berlin Philharmonic and Swedish Radio Chorus are big groups, and they play and sing with great beauty and warmth, but there's nothing of the "snap" we've become accustomed to. The whole affair sounds a bit leaden, if reverential. This has obviously been done on purpose--tempi and textures like these are not accidental, and clearly Abbado was after precisely this romantic approach. Whether you approve will be a matter of taste. His soloists are pretty good, with soprano Karita Mattila and bass-baritone Bryn Terfel being particularly fine. The two other selections are performed without much distinction. So? This isn't bad of its type, but why not stick with Colin Davis's reading of the Requiem? It's a real gem. -- Robert Levine