Track Listing

1. Part One Requem: Officium
2. Part One Requem: Kyrie Eleison
3. Part One Requem: Dies Irae
4. Part One Requem: Offertorium
5. Part One Requem: Sanctus
6. Part One Requem: Agnus Dei
7. Part One Requem: Lux Aeterna
8. Part One Requem: Lacrimosa
9. Part One Requem: Epitaphium
10. Part Two Life: Meeting
11. Part Two Life: Discovering The World
12. Part Two Life: Love
13. Part Two Life: Kai Kairos
14. Part Two Life: Ascende Huc
15. Part Two Life: Veni Et Vidi
16. Part Two Life: Qui Erat Et Qui Est
17. Part Two Life: Lacrimosa - Day Of Tears
18. Part Two Life: Prayer

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26841 in Music
• Released on: 1998-10-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 68 minutes

Customer Reviews

BUY IT NOW
I find much classical choral music to be a bit pretentious and too pleased with itself; this is different. The tracks are ruthlessly direct, the voices intense and pure and the effect is haunting. You know it's good when tracks retain their magic even after repeated playing. One listen on the radio and I just had to have it - I'm sure you'll be just as hooked.

5 out of 5 is a bit generous, as there are one or two slightly corny moments, but there's no provision for 4.5! It was good enough to get me to write this; I hope this is good enough to get you to buy it. Play it loud and feel the hairs on the back of your neck stick up! Fantastic.

Spiritual Epiphany, ahoy!
The previous patronising and somewhat pompous review fails to understand the second part of this recording. Preisner and Kieslowski (for whom the requiem was written) colloborated on various soundtracks and the second half of the disc - "Life" (ie Kieslowski's life) appears to be a deliberate attempt to blend their soundtrack background with the transcendance of the first. If any thing it reminds me of the minimalist composer David Borden and his Mother Mallard collective (check out his Counterpoint series). Best thing I've heard this year (apart from the Grateful Dead's Golden Road box set).

Melancholy
I have been very inspired by this unusual collection of work. The composer has an excellent ear for the female soprano and choral music in general. There is a refreshing mixture of styles to listen to, but there is a powerful melancholy thread linking all the pieces together. The first choral works are beautifully simple if not slightly surreal and mysterious. The two long organ pieces which follow tend to have a monotonous and very sorrowful feel, no doubt intended. The style seems to be a mixture of modern and early influence. There is definite evidence of the polish renaissance, and at the same time, some instrumental tracks (particularly track 11) fall into a more modern, film score style, James Horner's Braveheart comes to mind on this track, especially with the reverberant wind instrument (unknown) mixed with long wavering string lines. Later there is the unexpected introduction of a saxophone which adds a clever contemporary and almost warming slant, working excellently well with the stark tones of the chorus. The dominantly male choruses return with full power towards the end as an unsettling climaxical atmosphere occurs through several very 'orff' like pieces.

This is certainly worth the purchase, it is very original and although extremely melancholy considering the composers motivation, haunting and extremly inspirational in its intentions.