Osip Kozlovsky - Requiem

[Alan Howe]

Presto are now advertising the CD as an April 19th release over here in the UK. I have placed my order!
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9607139--kozlovzki-requiem

Spelling is a bit of a problem: Pentatone has 'Kozlowski', Presto has 'Kozlovski'. Very confusing when conducting searches!

[adriano]

Yes, Alan
In any case, the Russian CD and the 1978 "Muzika" vocal score write Козловский - "Kozlovsky".
The original Polish spelling is Józef Kozłowski, he was born in Warzaw - although, according to recent researches, he was born in Slauharad (Koslowitchi), today's Belarus.
Osip is the Russian version of Jósef.

[Alan Howe]

Very confusing! Thanks, Adriano, for the clarification.

[adriano]

By the way, this is also a very nice CD!
https://www.amazon.de/Kozlovsky-Romances-Polonaises-Orpharion-Ensemble/dp/B0012KRK50
It's also for sale on Discogs

[Christopher]

Presto are now advertising the CD as an April 19th release over here in the UK. I have placed my order!
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9607139--kozlovzki-requiem

Spelling is a bit of a problem: Pentatone has 'Kozlowski', Presto has 'Kozlovski'. Very confusing when conducting searches!

My CD came yesterday (care of a friend visiting from Poland): I can confirm it's a very good rendition of this piece, and possibly the best of the four recorded versions I know of.  It also confirms to me that, of those four, the Yesipov is the worst - turgid and plodding, literally the wrong tones and (especially) tempos chosen for each section. I don't know if that's because heavy Russian voices are not readily compatible with a Catholic Requiem Mass that prays for eternal rest, or because it's just a bad performance: the other two versions are also Russian and mostly work.

[Alan Howe]

Audio excerpts from this tremendous work can be found here:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/kozlovzki-requiem/hnum/11779619

[Alan Howe]

Well, my copy arrived today - and now that I'm finally able to listen to it in its entirety it's hard not to wonder what might 'top' this as the unsung discovery of the year. OK, there's Raff's Samson still to come, but this Requiem is an utterly amazing achievement for a work composed by an unknown composer in 1798. I hope it sells like hot cakes and gets the reviews it deserves.

[Christopher]

What's your favourite section Alan? Mine is unquestionably the Confutatis.  Just so dramatic.  I might have had it on repeat...repeatedly..!

[Alan Howe]

Yes, that's terrific, isn't it? But the whole work holds one's attention, I find.