What we have here is a German film of Abbado preparing two performances of the Requiem at Milan in 1985. The venues are St Mark’s Church, La Scala (orchestra only) and a rehearsal room, where he works with the soloists of the second performance. Each movement has incorporated at the beginning a moralising voice, reading some quasi-religious tosh while we are shown alternating images of a wealthy audience, of pop-art and of Christ’s suffering. It is a pretentious offering typical of the worst of German directorial self-importance.

Rescued from it are a number of moments when Abbado is seen and heard persuading a singer, such as Samuel Ramey in ‘Mors stupebit’, to add expression to his or her singing. He and Valentini-Terrani, a deeply eloquent mezzo, are common to both performances. The soprano and tenor in each is very different. Caballé’s exquisite but sometimes a shade over-articulated singing in the first being replaced by the young Cecilia Gasdia (whose name is misspelt Gaschia on the box cover!) less sophisticated, more straightforward, finely poised in the second. Dvorsk≥’s attractive but rather anonymous tenor in the first performance is contrasted with the more etiolated but interesting voice of Chris Merritt in the second. It is a pity we never get to hear either Gasdia or Merritt with the orchestra. At all times and with all his forces, Abbado is a sympathetic and constructive leader.

The picture and sound quality are adequate, no more. This curiosity will mainly appeal to Abbado completists and to those who want everything by one or other of the soloists, all of whom are certainly worth hearing.