Barnes & Noble - Andrew Farach-Colton It's safe to assume that no one hurries in Paradise, so this lingering interpretation of Fauré's Requiem might be divinely right. Conductor Myung-Whun Chung takes a reverential approach to this ethereal score, coaxing the chorus to sing in tones so hushed one must occasionally strive to hear them. Even superstar mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli shrinks her voice to a delicate sliver for the touching "Pie Jesu." Bryn Terfel's indomitable vocal intensity is only enhanced by such serene surroundings; the burly baritone really steals the show. Chung is more extroverted in Maurice Duruflé's Requiem, with its undulating, sensuous echoes of Gregorian Chant. In the "Domine Jesu Christe" and "Sanctus," the sonorous clamoring of the Santa Cecilia Chorus will set your hair on end. This 1998 recording does not supplant the late Robert Shaw's sublime performances of these same works on Telarc, but Chung's exceptional interpretations have their own heavenly charms.