Hidden treasures - Luigi Cherubini - Requiem in C minor (1816) (highlights) & Marche funèbre (1820)

Painting: "A cemetery in the snow" by Caspar David Friedrich (this seems to be a variant of Friedrich's more famous "The abbey in the oakwood").

History (adapted from the booklet to Naxos' release of the same set of music): Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842) was a composer of infinite inspiration and spotless reputation which were not hampered by the turbulent French political life at the turn of the century: his greatest secular successes, "Medee" and "Les deux journees", came at a time of unprecedented instability. In 1816, after the restoration of the monarchy and Napoleon's defeat, Cherubini was assigned the post of musical superintendent to the King, Louis XVIII, who was the composer's patron even before the revolution. In the following years Cherubini begun to turn his attention to church music, composing several sacred masterpieces, including the well-known Solemn Mass in C major. In this case, however, we will approach two slightly lesser known works. The centerpiece of the posting, Marche funebre, was written in 1820, the year of the assassination of the Duc de Berry, son of the future Charles X. I've also added two sections from Cherubini's earlier Requiem in C minor, written in 1815 and 1816 as a commemoration for the death of Louis XVI, executed by the revolutionaries. It was first performed in the Crypt of Saint-Denis on the 21st of January, 1816. The work was met with the highest praise: Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms all admired the piece greatly; even Berlioz, Cherubini's arch-rival, considered the work a masterpiece.

Music: The funeral march is a work of tremendous effect and a darkness rarely encountered at that time.It is not a simple funeral march, a solemn, polite ceremonial, such as Chopin's, to be fair, justly famous Lento, as the intensity of Cherubini's music defies the straightforwardness of a typical march. Instead, we are presented with an anguished, grief-stricken maetoso which could almost be considered a symbol of Death. The march is structured with surprising simplicity: each section is repeated once with subtle variations of the scoring and musical texture to prevent any kind of repetitiveness. It is scored for a large orchestra, with a woodwind section that includes a double bassoon and horns, extensively used to add a touch of grandeur to the proceedings, as well as a percussion section that makes use of a gong (possibly symbolizing the swinging of Death's scythe), providing a grim counterpoint to the impassioned string melody. While in the opening section (running from 1:48-2:50) the strings ceaselessly try to break free of the insistent gong and horns, after a brief transitional tutti (2:50-3:38) which provides an emotional outbreak to contrast with the severity of the first orchestral statements, the central episode (4:05-6:13), once we get past the first unsure string sighs, abandons the initial grim atmosphere in favor of a more languorous, tearful melody which, however, at first remains almost non-existent, dissipating in a gradual crescendo just as it begins to be developed. Only after the section is completely repeated, the succeeding part allows the strings to break free of the percussion and begin a lyric lament (6:16-7:16) over an understated bass line which is the only reminder of the troubled nature of the march. However, the final coda virtually destroys this affecting melody, once again allowing the gong and the horns to take over. All in all, I cannot imagine a more dark and yet a more beautiful "march". Two sections are used from the Requiem. The "Graduale" is nothing short of a miracle, and I have never encountered a piece of more simplicity or beauty in sacred music: with the subtlest, lightest touches Cherubini, scoring the piece for an understated combination of violas, cellos and double basses, replicating the vocal melody entoned by a four-part chorus which asks the Lord to grant eternal rest to the righteous, conjures an atmosphere of both despair and just the faintest hope. The accompaniment is so fragile that at times it seems that the orchestra's voice almost dissolves into the choral line. The melody itself is highly affecting, providing a striking contrast to the grim "Dies irae" (on a side note, the funeral march actually uses a similar opening, thus, the musical continuity is preserved). After these two inspired moments, the "Pie Jesu" (half of the original piece is presented) can seem slightly paler by comparison, especially considering the fact that it uses a setting quite similar to "Graduale", however, its grace is second only to Cherubini's own selections.

Recording: The 1995 Hyperion recording is perfect with Matthew Best leading a sublime reading of both pieces, interpreted with breathtaking sincerity by the Corydon Singers and Orchestra.

Hope you'll enjoy :).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• March
• funeral
• Cherubini
• classical
• belcanto
• classic

[ComposerJMA]

The saddest requiem known to me... I have studied this work in its entirety for 2 years

[CTMillan]

thank you! i love this requiem.

[AjinRaven]

These requiems move my heart more then most songs I have heard. They pack a whole bunch of emotion. I love listening to them.

[GSXReaper46]

beautiful!

[JamesBond2777]

Thanks for posting...I'm distantly related to the composer and no, I did not inherit any of this musical ability I'm sorry to say.

[odd0odium]

Wow just splendid. I came here outraged because of Beethoven's remark that this is superior to Mozart's. I can "hear" why.

[32Styx]

This is a superb recording of this exquisite work. Matthew Best's choral work speaks for itself not only in this recording but in others he has conducted. Thanks for this!

[suzettegm]

Great post, thanks!

[apple4000]

Magnificent!

[MADPUSSVIDEOS]

Thank you Eu for the share.

Thank you dear Lindoro for making our time in YT more rich.

Pios