It is now some three years since Gustav Leonhardt recorded the better-known and probably slightly later Requiem in F minor by Biber (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, 8/93). That dates from about 1692 whereas the A major Requiem on this disc may well have been performed at the funeral in 1687 of his employer, Max Gandolph von Khuenberg, Archbishop of Salzburg. The two pieces are strikingly different in character – that much at least is suggested by Biber’s choice of key – the F minor, melancholy and contemplative, the A major sonorous, stirring and noble. These qualities are at once encountered in the work’s richly colourful opening, “Requiem aeternam dona eis” and to an even greater extent in the wrathful “Dies irae”. This is a splendid section which inspires Leonhardt and his musicians to deliver it with fearful fervour. But the piece as a whole has clearly captured his imagination and he makes a good deal more of the drama than Ton Koopman in his more restrained account. The occasions which prompted grand, ceremonial gestures of the kind which we encounter here must have been quite awe-inspiring since much of the music is redolent of processional solemnity highlighted by dashes of brilliant colour – the scoring includes trumpets and three trombones as well as the standard woodwind and strings.
The companion piece on the disc is of an altogether different hue. In his intimate and contemplative setting of the Stabat mater, Biber’s Italian contemporary Steffani matches the text with grief-stricken vocal declamation and agonized string suspensions. The scoring, as we should expect, is much more modest and subdued than that required for the Requiem; Steffani calls for six vocal strands, six string parts and an organ. Comparatively small in scale it may be, but its emotional content is at least as affecting as Biber’s more public demonstration of the Catholic faith. Leonhardt has picked a fine ensemble of vocalists from among whom I especially enjoyed the contribution of Marta Almajano (track 8) and Mieke van der Sluis (track 13).
In summary, this is a strong release. The Chorus and Baroque Orchestra of the Dutch Bach Association perform well throughout and the programme, offering two starkly different baroque visions of heaven, is a richly rewarding one.'