Hector Berlioz – Grande Messe des morts 1837
The first recording in the series of oratorio music recordings – Grande Messe des morts by Berlioz – was recorded in the St Mary Magdalene Church in Wrocław by a huge, specially appointed ensemble consisting of musicians of The Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra, Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Gabrieli Consort & Players, outstanding young Polish musicians playing string instruments and musicians from Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, playing wind and percussion instruments.
Hector Berlioz – Grande Messe des morts 1837
The first recording in the series of oratorio music recordings – Grande Messe des morts by Berlioz – was recorded in the St Mary Magdalene Church in Wrocław by a huge, specially appointed ensemble consisting of musicians of The Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra, Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Gabrieli Consort & Players, outstanding young Polish musicians playing string instruments and musicians from Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, playing wind and percussion instruments.
Album premiere: 2011
Publishers: International Festival Wratislavia Cantans, Wrocław Philharmonic, Winged Lion
Conductor: Paul McCreesh
Performers: Robert Murray – tenor, Gabrieli Players, NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, Chetham’s School of Music Symphonic Brass Ensemble, Gabrieli Consort, NFM Choir
The recording of Berlioz’s monumental Grande Messe des morts presented here was made in 2010 in the spacious Gothic interiors of the Church of Mary Magdalene, which was the site of many legendary performances in the history of Wratislavia Cantans. The album is the first to be released as part of a new series of great oratorio recordings commemorating the festival’s collaboration with its then artistic director, Paul McCreesh. The recording features a large international ensemble, appointed specially for this occasion, consisting of musicians of the Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra, Gabrieli Players, invited guest artists and outstanding young performers – both Polish, playing string instruments, and British, playing wind instruments and percussion students of Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester. Two excellent vocal ensembles – the Wrocław Philharmonic Choir (conducted by Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny) and the Gabrieli Consort – were combined into a huge choir with over 200 voices.
The recording received enviable critical acclaim and was awarded the BBC Music Magazine Award 2012 for its technical excellence. It paved the way for three subsequent highly praised recordings: Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Britten’s War Requiem and Haydn’s The Seasons.
Awards: BBC Music Magazine Award 2012 – Technical Excellence
