Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Your reviewer has listened to more than a few settings of the Requiem Mass since taking on this job but has never heard one quite like this. First let it be said that this is an excellent CD and any criticisms that follow are relatively trivial. One of the composer's teachers, Krzysztof Penderecki, has described it as "a masterpiece" and who are we to argue? Jeajoon Ryu is a Korean composer, born in 1970, who has studied in both Seoul and Poland. The 'Sinfonia da Requiem' was composed as a tribute to those who have devoted themselves to rebuilding Korea after the war of 1950-53. The work is scored for soprano soloist, chorus and a large orchestra including triple woodwind and brass and an extensive percussion section. These requirements make it unlikely that this Requiem will become part of the cathedral repertoire but I hope and expect that it will become a standard concert work. The featured soprano on this super-budget CD is the Korean In-Hye Kim and she gives us a superlative performance. As I said above, I have not heard anything quite like this but if you want a comparison the name that came to mind was Leonard Bernstein. This Requiem is bright, brassy, theatrical and tuneful. If you have any interest in contemporary classical music this is a "must hear". The piece lasts 42 minutes and those kind people at Naxos give us Ryu's 'Violin Concerto No 1' played by So-Ock Kim on a 1666 Stradivarius. I do not do violin concertos so my only comment is that this was clearly composed by the same man who wrote the Requiem and that the Requiem on its own is well worth the cost of the CD.

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.

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