Suppe: Extremum Judicium (Requiem-Oratorium) (2CD)

A Requiem Oratorio by Suppé. By now the word perhaps has spread that the operetta master Franz von Suppé was a very solid composer who had studied composition with the same teacher – Simon Sechter – as Anton Bruckner. He was able to earn a fine reputation not only with his operettas but also with his religious works. Even the critical Brahms explicitly praised Suppé’s sacred works. In 1855 Suppé wrote a requiem for Franz Pokorny: a wonderful dramatic work saturated with melodies that a few new recordings have practically turned into a repertoire piece. Suppé submitted the requiem to thorough revision in the same year and doubled its length, creating what practically amounts to a requiem-oratorio. The standard parts of the requiem remained unchanged, but they were linked together by ariosi, recitatives, and interludes anticipating the character of the requiem parts, forming transitions to them, and often also preparing their musical themes. A dramatic prelude (instrumented for brass instruments, organ, and tam-tam) forms the perfect complement to this sensation recently discovered in Trieste.