Berlioz: Requiem

Marking the 150th anniversary of Berlioz’s death, this performance of the mighty Requiem or Grande Messe des Morts – presented on both DVD and CD – took place in St Paul’s Cathedral, London, in March 2019.  Conducted by John Nelson, it involved over 300 musicians, including tenor Michael Spyres.  As Nelson said: “Every measure resonates deeply with me and I feel there is sincerity, even in the great moments of bombast.” The Times wrote: “The surpassing virtue of this performance … was that both aspects, the spine-shakingly spectacular and the heart-rendingly haunting, were allowed to make their impact.”