
Durufle - the best - The Cleobury, St John s College recording of Durufle s Requiem is a gem. Unlike other recordings it eschews the operatic and attains a yearning frailty and simplicity entirely in keeping with the work s themes. It remains, for my money, the finest and most moving recording of this composition I have heard.
Intimate and honest - It s not the most solid performance of these works,neither the most powerful, nor the most perfect or the better vocalised. The choir does not always enter the passeges at the right tempo, and there are some tracks where some extra energy, for adult voices would ve been desireable (listen to Durufle s Liberame). However, the intimacy and sweetness of these performances compensate for any lack in other fields. The particular quality of the children s voices adds to the spirituality of this music. VOice solos are consistently superb. Jonathan Bond does an impressive Liberame in Faure s Requiem, and Robert King is breathtakingly unearthly in Durufle s pie Jesu (is he the same Robert King as the one leading the King s COnsort today?!?!) Sound quality is satisfactory, although not the most careful capture made by Decca, but this should not be an excure not to get it. Poulenc s unfrequent choral works are a most attractive bonus. Highly recommended.