My Wish List
NX 4245
Kastalsky: Requiem for Fallen Brothers
Label Catalogue Number:
8.574245
8.574245
Running Time: 01:03:15
Release Date: August 2020
Originally recorded in 2019
Originally recorded in 2019
Genre:
Classical
Orchestral & Concertos
Classical
Orchestral & Concertos
This item is temporarily unavailable.
About
Alexander Kastalsky was a student of Tchaikovsky and a mentor to Rachmaninoff, becoming director of the Moscow Synodal School until the Bolshevik regime banned all sacred music, including the extraordinary Requiem for Fallen Brothers which consequently lay forgotten for over a century. The Requiem is a rich and varied mosaic that honors those who perished in the First World War, poignantly combining Orthodox and Gregorian chant with hymns from the allied nations, even including Rock of Ages. This unprecedented and peerless monument to those who made the ultimate sacrifice was acclaimed on its 1917 premiere as a ‘uniquely Russian requiem that… gave musical voice to the tears of many nations.’ This is a world premiere recording.
Please login to post a review
Reviews
"... I find it astonishing that a work of such high quality comes from the pen of a composer as little known as Kastasky. The present performance is deeply committed. Slatkin obviously undertook the project as a labor of love, and he conveys his belief in the score to his vast forces. Soprano Anna Dennis sings with a lovely lyric tone and enough force for the moments requiring it... This release is an early candidate for my 2021 Want List."
Henry Fogel – Fanfare – March/April 2021
Nominee in Choral Category
International Classical Music Awards 2021
Nominee in Best Choral Recording category
63rd Grammy Awards 2021
“This is a very special release of a significant, attractive and moving choral work, here receiving its world premiere recording. Its neglect is almost incomprehensible given the range of music and its quality … Performances are committed, carefully prepared and idiomatic. The soloists are good, choirs generally clear in enunciation, Leonard Slatkin as reliable as always. Congratulations to Naxos for very informative notes and translations.”
Michael Wilkinson – MusicWeb-International.com – 20 October 2020
Performance ***** Recording ****
"... Slatikin, who admits a deep belief in this work, draws a touching performance."
Daniel Jaffe – BBC Music magazine – December 2020
“… The Requiem is an impressive work with rich orchestral textures and soulful choruses and solo passages on themes such as death, destruction and mourning, but also hope, healing and redemption, which are strongly expressed in the outstanding performance under Leonard Slatkin.” ****
Remy Franck – Pizzicato.lu – 30 September 2020
“… This fully-fleshed out Requiem has a tremendously dignified tread, noble grief and imperious ways. Naxos have done well by Kastalsky…”
Rob Barnett MusicWeb-International.com – 20 August 2020
Media Downloads
Whenever possible we provide a high resolution CD cover image and a PDF version of the CD booklet for you to download and keep.
These are found in your history if purchased and once you have logged in.
