The immediate plunge into the D minor tonality is sharp and percussive, rather than a wall of sound.
Herreweghe uses the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées to avoid the "muddiness" of larger Romantic orchestras. Mozart - Requiem - Dies irae - Herreweghe
The rapid string tremolos under the "Quantus tremor est futurus" section create a palpable sense of shivering dread. The immediate plunge into the D minor tonality