Cherubini: Requiem No.2
Igor Markevitch / Czech Philharmonic and Chorus (DG Eloquence)
(scroll down for English review)
又一張馬克維奇在捷克灌錄的法國合唱曲錄音，凱魯比尼於1836年，亦即是他76歲時寫的《第二安魂曲》。（沒有甚麼規定，但我們聽慣的經典作曲家只會寫一首安魂曲，凱魯比尼在1816年寫過一首C小調的安魂曲，就是《第一安魂曲》。）
誠惶誠恐地聽這碟，因為根本不熟悉凱魯比尼的作品，他作為法國19世紀初音樂最代表性的保守強人，令我擔心這首作品會不會很悶，不過以長度來說（40分鐘多一點），比莫扎特《安魂曲》還要短，所以悶極應該有個限度。
此曲既沒有獨唱，就連合唱也只得男聲，不過是三個聲部，最底是男低音，而男高音分為第一及第二，第一男高音的音域非常高，雖然有點取巧地分到高中低音色，但效果上是奏效的。頭兩個樂章的樂隊更沒有小提琴中提琴及高音木管，只剩低音弦樂及管樂，這一點就令我發覺凱魯比尼又沒有想像般悶蛋。
震怒之日（軌三）長11分鐘，但要注意這不只是莫扎特或威爾第用兩三分鐘寫的震怒之日，而是完整「末日經」，包含神奇號角、赫赫君王，直到垂淚之日。凱魯比尼沒有每段都想一個獨特旋律，劇力萬鈞地一氣呵氣。軌五的聖哉經，都是火力全開，我應該被凱魯比尼震懾了。
（軌八打後是莫扎特《加冕彌撒曲》，不過我未聽。）
This is another DG recording of Igor Markevitch conducting a French choral work in Czechoslovakia. Cherubini’s Second Requiem was written in 1836, he was then 76 and this turned out to be his last major work.
I have been quite wary of this ex-pat Italian composer because Cherubini has long been seen as the ultra-conservative figure in French music, but seeing the modest length of this work: “It’s shorter than the Mozart Requiem so it wouldn’t be too boring, would it?” I took the dive.
There are no vocal soloists, not even female choristers. The tenors are divided into two parts, together with the basses, making this a three-part chorus. Tenor 1 is quite high, even treacherously so, resulting in a well-partitioned three-part chorus without female voices. The violins, violas and the higher woodwinds are absent in the first two movements. Cherubini isn’t as boring as I assume to be.
The Dies irae (track 3) is 11 minutes long but note that this is not the same Dies irae as in Mozart or Verdi but the full Sequentia, which comprises also of Tuba mirum, Rex tremendae up to Lacrimosa. Cherubini didn’t attempt to allocate a different melody or mood for each section, instead he set this Sequentia basically in one breath. Sanctus (track 5) is so spectacular that blasted me away.