The first recording of Robert Levin's completion of Mozart's Requiem
Written: Apr 24 '07 (Updated Apr 24 '07)
Product Rating:
Pros: The quartets are simply exquisite, Rilling's feel for dynamics is marvelous
Cons: Some tempo interpretations just don't work for me
The Bottom Line: This is the first recording of the Robert Levin completion of Mozart's Requiem, and where it is good, it is very good, but I question some of the tempo choices
Pianist, composer and Mozart expert Robert Levin was commissioned in 1987 by the International Bach Academy to produce a new completion of Mozart's Requiem in D minor (KV626). In August 1991, conductor Helmuth Rilling premiered Levin's work at the European Music Festival, winning Levin wide-ranging praise for his efforts.
There is no need for me to go into details over the many, many scholarly arguments over the authorship of various sections of the work, nor to flog the details of each and every change made by Levin. Suffice to say, my personal feeling is that the Levin completion is much more satisfying and seemingly true to Mozart than the traditional completions that surfaced during the work's first two hundred years.
In the liner notes to this premiere recording of his completion, Levin says:
"The completed version offered in this recording, however, seeks to respect the 200-year-old history of the Requiem . We have tried not to revise as much, but as little as possible and in a manner we fee it faithful to the character, writing, voice leading, design and structure of Mozart's music."
Having sung both versions, I think that Levin accomplished his goal admirably. The changes he made to the work restore the feel of Mozart to sections that lacked it, and his knowledge of the period and Mozart's methods serve him well in recasting passages where Sussmayr seemed not to comprehend Mozart's intent.
For example, one of the more glaring problems I always had with the traditional work, even before seeing Levin's change to this particular section, was the abrupt, trite ending to the Lacrimosa - surely, Mozart had more in mind that what amounts to a simple, hymnodic Amen figure?
Where Sussmayr falters with a weak Amen resolve tacked onto the end of the Lacrimosa, Levin expands the ending to lead into a full Amen fugue that, while perhaps a bit too mathematical in places, is magnificent on its own, no matter how close or how far it may be from Mozart's actual intent. Levin's Amen is majestic, powerful, complex and intriguing, a vast improvement on Sussmayr's scant eight measures that trail off to a quaint resolve.
So, for those who need to know, the major changes found in Levin's completion:
Lacrimosa - corrections in Sussmayr's vocal crossing of the tenors and altos
Amen - expansion into a non-modulating fugue
Sanctus - removal of the parallel fifths in the orchestration
Benedictus - new bridge connecting to a shortened repeat of the Hosanna fugue in the original key of D major, not Sussmayr's B flat major
Agnus Dei - Sussmayr's errors removed from second and third sections
Cum Sanctis - Customary text setting restored
For this recording, Helmuth Rilling conducted his Stuttgart choir and symphony, the Gachinger Kantorei and the Bach-Collegium. The principal soloists were soprano Christiane Oelze, alto Ingeborg Danz, tenor Scot Weir, and bass Andreas Schmidt.
Judged solely by standards of choral an symphonic quality, I think that this Requiem is very good indeed – the choir is precise, well-balanced and full, the orchestra is disciplined and doesn't overwhelm the choir, even in the most grandiose passages, and the soloists are simply fantastic (more on them in a moment). I will say that there are a very few places where the brass sound a bit out of tune, slightly flat, not really getting on top of a note here and there, but it isn't really noticeably awful.
A noticeable, though technically accurate, difference of this performance from those one may already be familiar with is the Germanic pronunciation of the Latin lyric. I am quite used to hearing the English pronunciations of these lyrics, so it was a surprise to hear the brighter vowels, but was quickly reminded that there are other schools of thought when it comes to Latin pronunciation.
My real quibble with this recording is Rilling's interpretation of tempo in a few places. Overall, he tends to keep the pace slower than some conductors might allow, and for the most part, the net result is an anthemic sound befitting the majesty of Mozart's masterpiece. One cannot accuse Rilling of rushing anything in this version of the Requiem, but I did find myself wishing for a somewhat faster tempo in what I consider to be key moments of the work.
I feel that the Introitus and Kyrie are absolutely perfect as far as I'm concerned – the tempo of these pieces is just right; Rilling gives the choir just the right space for singing the sixteenth figures in Kyrie with real authority. I've always struggled to get those notes out when the tempo rushes a bit, and it's good to really be able to hear the separation in these runs without losing their fluid nature.
But early on, Rilling tips his hand regarding the speed at which this Requiem will progress: a little too slow. It's a very subtle, almost imperceptible difference first apparent in Dies Irae, but it slowly becomes obvious that it has lost a touch of its fire. It still maintains a very definite regal presence, but it is somewhat muted – it's impressive, but it doesn't truly soar.
Confutatis proves Rilling's tendency to err on the side of slowness – I would never challenge the maestro's knowledge or experience, but I think his interpretation of this critical climactic section is completely wrong. I can forgive the pace of Dies Irae, but this Confutatis simply plods along, even to the point of making the men of the choir have to work very hard indeed at maintaining tone so as to avoid a severe pulsing sound. I'm fine with the extremely hushed tones of the piece's final minute and a half – oro supplex et acclinis / cor contritum quasi cinis as a whispered plea for mercy at the end of one's life works for me. But I will always prefer a strong, hard-charging, even violent interpretation of the song's opening moments - confutatis maledictis / flammis accribus addictis should be a terrifying, thundering storm of hellfire and brimstone. At this less than moderato tempo, I think it loses all its impact, which robs the absolutely heavenly Lacrimosa of it's opportunity to shine in stark contrast to the Confutatis.
(Yes, I have strong feelings about this section, especially since I feel that Levin's changes through this portion are a HUGE improvement over Sussmayr's bungling)
For the balance of the work, Rilling's slow interpretation remains at the level of the Dies Irae – slight and not unacceptable, but still having that muting effect in a few places. The one place that he allows for more speed is during the re-worked reprise of the Kyrie in Cum Sanctis, and I feel it proves my point about the tempo problems throughout. This time through, the Kyrie is richer and more satisfying; it's still not too fast as to rush the words or the sixteenth runs, but even at just this hair faster tempo, it feels so much better to me.
While the choir and the orchestra and the recording quality of this disc are all quite good, it is the performance of the soloists that is the real reason to recommend this particular Requiem. From the first entrance of the bass Andreas Schmidt in Tuba Mirum all the way through soprano Christiane Oelze's final solo in Lux Aeterna, the four soloists are fantastic. They are very well matched in tone and delivery, and their collective vibrato works quite well together, never beating one against the other in a fight for dominance (a problem many choirs face in local productions of any work like this).
This is a well balanced vocal ensemble, and none of them overdo any vocal flourishes or over extend any fermata. They each remain very true to Mozart's vision for the piece, and it seems to me that each soloist trusts his melodies to sing through them rather than working at singing the melodies – these solo lines are exquisite, and the harmonies they create when any number voices come together never fail to astound me. Here, this effect is most evident during Recordare - each soloist makes a slow crescendo entrance, and as new voices are added, the dominant vocal line is supported perfectly. When the ensemble sings together, they create one voice that has great dynamic range and superb subtlety. This effect really stands out to me in Recordare, where at the end the ensemble sings together, leading into Confutatis - I was entranced and enthralled by this section, and so the huge disappointment of Rilling's Confutatis was magnified even more in contrast.
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Mozart: Requiem in D minor / Kyrie
One additional bonus for this particular recording is the inclusion of Kyrie in D minor KV 341 (368a) – a work that precedes the Requiem by some years, and one that features small thematic snippets that can be found in the later work. Personally, I find the piece a bit pedestrian for Mozart, but not everything he wrote had the particular spark of his greatest masterpieces.
Robert Levin's completion of Mozart's Requiem is convincing, stirring and true. Rilling's interpretation is consistent, disciplined and a touch slow throughout, and fatally so in the climactic moments of Confutatis. The vocal ensemble are the true stars of this recording, giving marvelously balanced performances that are a real delight. Overall, this disc is quite good indeed, but the listener may have to get around his own preconceived notions of Mozart's Requiem in order to really enjoy Levin's completion and Rilling's tempo.
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Mozart: Requiem in D minor / Kyrie
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Robert Levin / Helmut Rilling
Originally Released 1992 by Hanssler Classic
An all digital recording
Total Time: 63:42
46-page booklet in German, English and French
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