Type: Requiem
Company: Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Chorus
Conductor: Carlo Maria Giulini
Venue: Royal Festival Hall, London
Soloists: Ilva Ligabue, Grace Bumbry, Sandor Konya, Raffaele Arie
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Year: 2013

A beautiful remastering. You’re hearing how audiences in 1964 saw and experienced Verdi: in a concert hall before digital amplification, before “perfection” in recording. That rawness, the occasional imperfection and the sense of risk adds to its musicality. You see the real performance rather than a polished product. Carlo Maria Giulini’s Verdi interpretations are mythic among musicians and critics. He conducts as an act of spiritual meditation. No exaggeration, no histrionics, just beauty.