This is one of my most recent acquisitions (March 2000), and certainly a delightful one. Very similar in construction to the requiems of Cherubini but with soloists, it boasts pleasant melodies and some substantially moving moments.

The Dies irae is fairly typical for this era, memorable melodies and quite well sung and played by these forces (the Prague Philharmonic and Kuhn Mixed Choir and various soloists). The soloists compliment the composition without distracting from it. The soprano and tenor in particular are quite excellent.

The most memorable passage for me is the Benedictus. It has a beautiful and stirring melody and is exquisitely sung by Magdalena Hojossyova (there are diacriticals galore missing from her name; please forgive the misspelling) a talented singer with a voice like bells.

I recommend this one for a couple of reasons: it is a rarity in that I had never heard of the composer and he really put out for me, and it is a midprice CD for which I paid nine bucks! It would have been satisying at twice that!

Rating: NNNN