Icons in the history of music, the Requiem and the Clarinet Concerto are virtual contemporaries. Both final and unfinished, Mozart's Requiem is justly celebrated, usually in the Süssmayr version. The Clarinet Concerto was designed for the exceptional virtuoso Anton Stadler, who liked to push the boundaries of his instrument as far as possible.
Built around young and talented soloists and clarinetist Benjamin Dieltjens, Leonardo García Alarcón directs the Choir Chambre de Namur and also directs for the first time the New Century Baroque orchestra, discovered in 2011 in the framework of "Residences Youth Ensembles" of the European Baroque Academy in Ambronay.
Early Music ReviewJune 2013 |
“Dieltjens is a nimble and extremely lyrical player, while not at all allowing his contemporary music-making to interfere he makes glorious range of sounds, from the most delicate pianissimo to strongly accented fortes, especially in the lower register.” |
July 2013 |
“a performance that emphasises the work's drama...Nothing so straightfoward as the Süssmayr version, either: Alarcón opts to base his performance on Franz Beyer's 1971 edition but with many of his own amendments” |
15th August 2013 |
“The performance is a thrilling one. The choir, an excellent body of two dozen singers, are lively and strong. Clearly they thoroughly enjoy themselves. The soloists, a well-blended team, are also nicely full-bodied and make no attempt to produce the sort of anaemic tone that sometimes is held to pass for authenticity” |
