The Compact Collection: ROB COWAN ON THE WEEK'S BEST CD RELEASES

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IT'S NOW almost nine months since Claudio Abbado directed two live performances of Verdi's Requiem Mass at Berlin's Philharmonic. Seriously ill at the time, he rose to the occasion with courage and seemingly undiminished musical powers. Beauty and balance were among his principal musical priorities. Warmly arched string lines underpin the opening "Requiem aeternam" and in the "Dies irae", after savaging the opening onslaught (here especially sonorous), clarinet and bassoon scurry into the far distance like frightened penitents.

There are other memorable moments: the deathly quietening of "Rex tremendae"; the limpid cello line in the "Recordare" and the sweet solo …