Gosh, what a happy Dies irae! The opening melody and Tuba mirum are wonderful, almost danceable tunes. This Requiem is as good as the liner notes boast! The harmony coming off of the last sung "mirum" is awesome!

There are few things to distract from this CD. I would have liked the chorus to be forced forward farther into the mix. They are excellent, and the composition really demands it. I have the same gripe about the Verdi in some places. The word "mirum" isn't "large" enough in it's second iteration, and I know it's trivial, but I live sometimes for a single word or phrase in one of these things! I like the passages I love to be the most significant parts. I guess I should take it up with the conductor (Are you out there, Mr Hermann Max?)

Heinichen's composition, while in places typical of the "happy" baroque requiem, is quite an outstanding piece. Short at 33 minutes, it is full of lovely turns of melodic phrasing and the performers really wrap themselves around it. The vocalists are outstanding, and amidst them the instrumentation is fabulous! Was that a whispering oboe in the background a moment ago? I'll have to go back and see!

Another reason to purchase this disk is the companion piece by Hasse, a lovely thing indeed. Lilting melodies in the Kyrie are alone a lovely bonus! I can't begin to express the exuberance of the Gloria. An excellent CD!

Rating: NNNN