Verdi: Messa da Requiem. (Choral and Song).

VERDI: Messa da Requiem

[] Gheorghiu, Barcellona; alagna, Konstantinov; Berliner Philharmoniker, Swedish Radio Chorus, Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, Orfeon Donostiarra, Abbado. EMI 57168

Verdi's magnificent Messa da Requiem, like his Don Carlo, often proves frustrating in performance: one of the major vocal soloists is almost always somebody you'd rather not hear. Fortunately, that was not a problem last January in Berlin, when this live recording was made. All four singers are strong, and the conducting, by Claudio Abbado, is hair-raising.

Abbado whips his massive forces -- including three choirs -- into sheer ferocity. This is one of the scariest versions of this work ever, with a Dies Irae that comes crashing down like the wrath of the Almighty Himself. Abbado also heightens the moments of subtle, sustained dread, such as the Mors Stupendis, which is made even spookier by the sepulchral tone of bass Julian Konstantinov. No less unsettling are the emanations from Angela Gheorghiu and Daniela Barcellona. Although the two women blend perfectly on the Recordare, they also sound like a couple of vampires haunting a graveyard.

In many ways, the violent, vengeful aspects of the Requiem, particularly in the Libera Me, are a perfect fit for Gheorghiu's dark-toned, verismo-style timbre. But the sheer beauty of her voice and phrasing also shines through, especially when she rises above the other soloists, the chorus and ...