Aluredian
51
Verdi's
Requiem
by
Chris Holmes
V
erdi's Requiem is one of the
cornerstones of the grand
choral repertoire. Inspired
by the great Italian patriot,
novelist and poet,
Alessandro Manzoni, Verdi
was moved to write "What can I say of
Manzoni? How can I express the indefinable,
new feeling of extreme sweetness that I got
while I was in the presence of that Saint …
I would have knelt in front of him." Romantic
sentiments indeed.
And this is indeed a work that embodies the
true Romantic spirit - extremes in everything;
pitch, dynamics, orchestration, it focuses on
the dramatic and the passionate. The texts
gnaw away at visions of God's wrath, the fear
of hell, fervent and terrified pleas for
deliverance.
All this was perfectly brought to life in this
most ambitious joint venture between local
choir Amici, our own chapel choir, and
OrchestraWest, leader Barry Haskey, and
conductor John Cole. Vocally it was a triumph;
the professionalism of Amici combined
powerfully with the youthful vigour of our own
singers, and all were complemented superbly
by a magnificent quartet of soloists.
Naomi Harvey, principal at the Welsh National
Opera, actually teaches many of our singers!
Alison Kettlewell was born in Taunton and now
performs all over the world in opera and
oratorio. Justin Lavender has performed at the
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Vienna
State Opera and La Scala, Milan, while Alan
Fairs is no stranger to the stages of the Royal
Opera House, Glyndebourne and Welsh
National Opera.
There were too many musical treats during the
evening to list, but highlights would have to
include the awe-inspiring Dies Irae, with its
hugely dramatic percussion work and
impassioned singing from the massed choirs.
Naomi Harvey's beautiful soaring, yet
ultimately pianissimo, high notes still resonate
in the memory, as does the consistently
excellent playing by the orchestra all evening.
Such perfect intonation and real ensemble was
a real treat.
Many congratulations to our own Director of
Music, Colin Albery, and Amici's John Cole for
having the ambition to conceive this project
and bring it to such a thrilling outcome. It will
have been an experience our choir will never
forget.