Respighi: Laud to the Nativity; Monteverdi: Magnificat
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Composer: Ottorino RespighiComposer: Claudio Monteverdi
Conductor: Alfred Wallenstein
Orchestra: Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Performer: Anita Priest
Performer: Marilyn Horne
Performer: Marie Gibson
Performer: Charles Bressler
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2004-08-31
Music Label: Clarion
Soundtracks:
- Laud To The Nativity
- Magnificat
- Et Exultavit
- Quia Respexit
- Quia Fecit
- Et Misericordia
- Fecit Potentiam
- Deposuit
- Esurientes
- Suscepit Israel
- Sicut Locutus
- Gloria Patri
- Sicut Erat
Music reviews of Respighi: Laud to the Nativity; Monteverdi: Magnificat
Music Review: The One and Only!
Rating: 5 Stars
One Christmas many years ago I was experiencing a period in my life when things were going very poorly ---and it looked as if the holiday season was going to be a bleak one. Fortunately,I had managed to acquire a reel-to-reel tape of this recording of the Respighi "Laud"; in the weeks before Christmas I began to play it nightly--sometimes 2 or 3 times---alone (with headphones) in my upstairs room in the dark except for a tiny string of Christmas lights and the glow from the stereo control panel. And thanks to this nightly "ritual", that Christmas remains one of the most moving and emotional of any in my adult life.
And that's the power of this music. If pressed, I would have to name the Respighi "Laud" as the most purely BEAUTIFUL work of music that I know; I have waited for nearly 20 years in the hope that we would see THIS PARTICULAR recording preserved on CD---and here it is AT LAST!
And the wait was worth it---the sound is stunning! Tha amount of warmth, presence, and detail captured by EMI/Capitol in 1961 is astounding, and you hear EVERY bit of it in this first-rate transfer.
The performance is so incredibly lovely that it almost defies description. Suffice to say that the singing of the Roger Wagner Chorale, with its amazing range of color---especially its lighter, mezza-voce tone---is largely responsible for the serene and radiant quality of this performance. I am certain that some of the singers in the Chorale on this recording (especially the male voices) were also active in other fine choral groups that recorded during the late '50s-early 60's, when many excellent, legitimate Christmas records were being released. (The best of them in my opinion was a 1957 album by The Jack Halloran Singers on the DOT label, which has been a staple in my family since 1959---and the similarity in sound of that chorus to the Wagner Chorale is definitely one of the reasons why I respond so strongly to this recording of the Respighi).
The solo singing is fine, the chief attraction for collectors being an early appearance by Marilyn Horne. Soprano Marie Gibson as the angel sings with a lovely, limpid tone that soars and floats beautifully when required (I met Miss Gibson in the early 90's in Chicago when she served as a judge for the MET regional auditions; I raved about her recording of the "Laud"---and she was thrilled to be recognized and remembered for it).
True, conductor Alfred Wallenstein could have lingered a bit more here and there....his performance is definitely more brisk than any other that I have heard....but the gentle, airy, pastorale elegance and grace of the choral singing conveys an exquisite sense of joy, which many of the heavier and more lethargic performances that have been available totally miss. The quick tempo "GLORIA" section near the end is VERY fast indeed, but the agility and precision of Wagner's singers pull it off brilliantly. The following chorale ("To save the world from sin..")
is sung with a lightness, warmth and child-like simplicity that matches the music perfectly, while the final hushed, mysterious "Amens" will leave you in awe of this sublime performance.
A true CLASSIC, one of the real treasures of recorded music.
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Description of Respighi: Laud to the Nativity; Monteverdi: Magnificat
A Dream Recording Is Once Again Available! Long out-of-print, and eagerly sought by collectors, Roger Wagner?s recording of Respighi?s intimate tableau, Laud to the Nativity retuns to the catalogue. This recording comes from a series made by the Roger Wagner Chorale in the 1960?s. Coupled with the Respighi on the original LP recording is Monteverdi?s glorious setting of the Magnificat from the Vespers of 1610. The solos, sung here by Marie Gibson, Marilyn Horne, and Charles Bressler, featured in the Respighi Laud, are fresh and clear, and the choir sings in typical Roger Wagner warmth and strength.Classical CDs
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