Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Clearly Mozart wrote for vinyl as his "Requiem in D Minor (K626)" comes in at under 40 minutes. Thus for the CD age it needs to be coupled with something appropriate. Here the choice is a good one, his "Clarinet Concerto in A Minor (K622)" although as there is no Christian content we will pass over it with just a cheery "Well played Sir!" to Benjamin Dieltjens. As to the main event, we have no hesitation at all in saying that Mozart's Requiem is one of the glories of world music and any collection of classical choral music, whether Christian or not, is incomplete without this work. My preferred guide to recorded music has four recommended Requiems and I will not be surprised to see this one added to the next edition. All involved have done a splendid job and the spine tingles in all the right places. We have two reservations that prevent the award of the coveted Cross Rhythms 10 out of 10. Firstly, if clarinet concertos are not your cup of tea you will soon get fed up with the opening 30 minutes of this CD and, secondly, there are cheaper Requiems out there, and some of the budget re-issues of classic recordings are well worth considering, if you do not mind the cheap and cheerful packaging.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.