Press
Monday, March 17, 2008
Mozart, Britten, Pärt come alive as ‘Requiem’ tops masterworks
CONCERT REVIEW
By Rick Reynolds TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
The Worcester Chorus and Orchestra Saturday night delivered a magnificent feast of choral masterworks centered on the theme of “compassion and remembrance.”
In his pre-concert talk, Musical Director Andrew Clark — a maestro who also has a way with words — acknowledged that his ambitious program might not be to everyone’s taste; but Clark encouraged concertgoers to think of the program as a dinner with a wonderful main course (Mozart’s “Requiem”) which is preceded perhaps by an unfamiliar soup and salad.
Well, as it happened, the side dishes (“Three Divertimenti” for string quartet by Benjamin Britten; “Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten” for String Orchestra and Bell” by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt; and “Cantata Misericordium” by Britten) were quite savory.
Indeed, the program was perfect for late in the Lenten season — with the glorious, haunting, beloved “Requiem” mesmerizing the appreciative audience.
This work requires an opening mood of profound sorrow, leavened by the hope of deliverance — followed by the wrath of the Dies Irae and a world turned to ashes. The soloists and chorus rose to this supreme challenge, maintaining the highest musical standards throughout the piece. The concert hall was absolutely still between the movements of the “Requiem.” After the moving “Lacrimosa” (popularized by the Oscar-winning movie “Amadeus”), it seemed as if the audience had momentarily stopped breathing.
The four soloists (Jennifer Aylmer, Krista River, William Hite and Aaron Engebreth) were terrific in their solo lines and blended into a wonderful-sounding quartet.
The evening began with Britten’s “Three Divertimenti,” performed by the QX Quartet (Rohan Gregory and Krista Buckland Reisner, violins — she was also the evening’s concertmaster; Peter Sulski, viola; and Jan Müller-Szeraws, cello.) The youthful ensemble’s fine performance showed why it is winning plaudits on the greater Boston music scene.
The “Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten” for String Orchestra and Bell” by Arvo Pärt was a moving threnody, described by the composer as “light going through a prism.”
Britten’s “Cantata Misericordium,” the third and final piece performed before intermission, reflects the parable of the Good Samaritan. Britten composed the work in observance of the 100th anniversary of the Red Cross in 1963, founded by Oxford, Mass., native Clara Barton. Clark noted that the librettist for the work — in an attempt to make it universal — put the text into Latin, which ironically makes it inaccessible to everyone. In any event, soloists William Hite and Aaron Engebreth joined the chorus and orchestra for the piece, and it seemed as if the portrait of Ms. Barton on the left side of Mechanics Hall positively glowed during the performance.
The concert was part of the 148th season of the Worcester Music Festival presented by Worcester Music Inc.
And the performance of the “Requiem” was dedicated to the memory of Virginia Stuart, a singer and leader in the Worcester Chorus for more than 20 years.
