Faure: Requiem (with Verdi-Four Sacred Pieces)

Recorded: Royal Festival Hall, London, 30 April 1962

"....this is another valuable BBC Legends release and a welcome addition to the Giulini discography."
(MusicWeb)

This 1962 broadcast of a gala occasion at the Royal Festival Hall brings together two of Carlo Maria Giulini's choral specialities, the Fauré Requiem and Verdi's Four Sacred Pieces. His only commercial recording of the Fauré was made 24 years later in the studio in 1986 so this account recorded live in London represents him at his peak as a conductor. The live Verdi performance on the other hand preceded the studio recording by 8 months (also with Janet Baker) and was obviously a run through prior to recording the work, though Giulini was always at his most inspired when caught live.

The celebrated soloists are Janet Baker and the French baritone Gerard Souzay (1918-2004) whose public appearances began in 1945 with recitals and concerts, including a performance of Fauré's Requiem in a centenary tribute to the composer at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He had a large discography ranging from Fauré, Schubert, Schumann and Ravel though he never recorded the Fauré Requiem.

Giulini was always a prolific seller when conducting opera and choral works and this is a major addition to the conductor's BBC Legends discography.

The recording has been sourced from John Goldsmith, founder of Unicorn Records.