Firstly, this review is written for people unfamiliar with choral music, any true musical connoisseur knows better; secondly, it's not written to bash Bocelli, but frankly he has no business singing Verdi's Requiem, much less besides such talented artists like Fleming, Borodina and D'Arcangelo. The problem is the fact that this piece wasn't written for a tenor who needs a microphone and some serious singing lessons, it was written for one with a pure, powerful and educated voice; his interpretation is simply devoid of feeling.
I'm sure people who choose this as their first Requiem listening will be very disappointed with it; truly, Bocelli' voice sounds weak and the way he articulates the words sounds just plain bad. Ultimately, a great piece ruined (truly) for the sake of commercialism.

The only reason to buy this recording is for the ravishing, exquisite Renee Fleming (immaculate as always) and the extremely talented Borodina. The 'Agnus Dei' and 'Libera Me' are brilliantly sung. At the risk of sounding snobby, I honestly have to say that Bocelli's singing is pathetic and ruins this recording. It honestly could have been a great recording had they found a powerful tenor (Alagna, Domingo) to join ranks with the soloists. Bocelli's opening entrance is SO weak, bland, and digitally amplified that it is laughable. Most listeners who know this work would laugh at loud on first listening. Instead of a powerful, declamatory entrance, we get what sounds like a weak, nasal rendition of Verdi in the shower. D'Arcangelo, the bass, delivers a rather plain performance as well, though light-years better than Bocelli. Fleming, at the complete opposite of the spectrum, sings beautifully, even though she is not the quintessential "Verdian" soprano, like Pryce or Caballe. Her voice, nevertheless, is more beautiful than either of these Sopranos, and the Libera Me is delivered with distinction worthy of her Verdian predecessors. Buy this work if only to hear Fleming's unmatched singing, but seek out other recordings like the Solti or de Sabata for truly magnifent renditions of the Requiem.

Let's forget the Boccelli fiasco, he is tone deaf. But the Agnus dei is worth the purchase, better than Toscanini and, deo gratias, without Andrea!

I'm giving this CD a 5-stars because Valery Gerviev interprets this work better than the Toscanini version that I owned. About Bocelli, hell who could've thought who's-who's in charge of the production were thinking? It's like casting Charlotte Church for Salome! I guess the reasont this CD gets poor reviews are simply because of ANDREA BOCELLI alone. Give this CD a spin and forget the Andrea Bocelli bias.

The whole Requeim is better than Toscanini's due to the fact that this performance is darker and has more of a melancholic feel than Toscanini's. I felt Toscanini's Requeim felt like a typical Verdi opera. Gerviev's vision along with Kirov Orchestra shaped up a genuinely "Requiem" feel of this work. I love "Quid Sum Miser" which is more Puccini than Verdi, along with Lacrimosa and Libera Me. Despite the fact I feared Fleming and Borodina might sound like another typical pop-artist like Bocelli, they had the depth and voice which supplimented this work over the glarious "flaw" of Bocelli's casting.

Finally, I'm not really a fan of Verdi's operas. If you're a true Verdi fan, you might want to stay away from this recording. This recording of Requeim has more inspiration of Shostakovich and Puccini than of Verdi.

I know there will be those who find that a confusing statement: I enjoyed it even though it was the worst recording of this work I have ever heard (and that takes into account all those old live performances where the singing is fairly good, but the sound is so terrible it is painful to listen to them). I actually really enjoyed listening to this rendition of this awesome work. I call it a rendition, for it is definitely NOT a real interpretation.

The work is completely uneven in its presentation, and the elements that make up the whole don't work together as they should. The conductor actually has some really interesting ideas about how to approach this work, which I find quite acceptable, but he doesn't quite make it work. Of course, all the singers sing their hearts out (and every shred of voice they don't have in the cast of Bocelli), but they don't make the work a complete whole either. The chorus is there, and wonderful in its intensity, but simply terrible in its diction. They could have been singing "oo-ah-oo-ah" throughout and it would have been just as affective.

Now some people reviewing this work get really upset with people who see faults and mention them, and they have even told us if we could do better then we should be singing ourselves. That is the silliest form of criticism I have ever heard. Were that the case, that only those who could sing were able to have an opion, then everyone would have to shut up, even those who enjoy the singing. The fact is, there are standards by which music is judged, and unfortunately for those who come to classical music through "crossover artists" (Bocelli and Charlote Church) you may be hearing find performers in their fach, but you are not hearing performances that meet the standards by which this music is judged. Sorry if you think they have so much "new" to offer; they have no understanding of the standards they are expected to meet. If they knew them and understood them (these performers), then you would be surprised at the number of obvious flaws that would be taken into account -- Maria Callas is a case in point. People are so into the "human aspect" of music which usually means nothing more than the singer can't sing what they are required to and uses gimmics to get through it (a very standard part of popular music where "stylising" is more important than singing the correct notes, or even the correct style for the music itself -- just see how the national athem is murdered every time we hear it now). People who love classical music are not ignorant fools; they are not just sheep who love something because it is the popular thing to do. They know the works they love, as well (and often better) than many of the performers who perform them. I am glad that many who wouldn't give classical music a chance are listening to it, and I am glad that maybe you were willing to open your minds because of people like Bocelli. However, don't stop there in your venture into Classical Music, take time to really learn what is expected of performers of this music, then learn to appreciate what they really are doing, and why so many who are in the know because they love this music can state quite strongly why they hate this recording, and who the majority of the fault for its awefullness lies with.

I happen to love all the singers who are in this recording as artists in their own right. I happen to love Bocelli for what he does best (and this requiem is NOT what he does best). So, I was able to sit down and really enjoy this rendition. However, the fact I could enjoy it doesn't remove one tiny bit the huge glaring flaws with it. None of these singers are really VERDI singers, and we have to remember that Verdi wrote this requiem for the same singers who premiered AIDA. And they all had HUGE POWERFUL VOICES! Blanche Roosevelt actually wrote of Teresa Stolz (the lead soprano) "the Power she gave to her high C is something amazing ... the tone swells out bigger and fuller, always retainding that exquisite purity of intonation, and the air seem actually heavy with great passionate waves of sound." As great as Fleming is (and I love her beyond belief) that she does not do. Verdi knew what kind of singers he was writing for, and so did most of the conductors who have conducted this work. These singers, great as they are, are not the choice for a Verdi work. Fleming and Borodina will grow into that as they age (they are both nearly there now) and D'Arcangelo will develop into a wonderful Verdi bass if he would strengthen his lower ranger and stop pressing his tone (that will lead to forcing), and Bocelli, well, he will do much better singing what he does best, shining in that area of music he is so good at, and let others do this area of music. They may sing opera to perfection, but they wouldn't be able to match him in his fach; he does his fach so well, but he can't match them in theirs.

In short: if you like the singers, buy this recording and enjoy it. If you love Verdi and wish to have him done at his best (which no one has yet attained) then buy some other recording.