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Verdi and Wagner Opera Choruses
Following the Chorus' acclaimed performance of Verdi's Requiem on 20 April with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, the Philharmonia Chorus and the Philharmonia Orchestra will be back together in the Royal Festival Hall on Friday 7 June for an evening of opera choruses by Verdi and Wagner, both born in 1813.
The programme will celebrate this joint 200th anniversary of two of the greatest opera composers with a powerful programme of well known opera choruses. Click here to see the whole programme.
Orchestra and Chorus will be joined by American tenor Marc Heller, and the concert will be conducted by the Chorus Master of the Philharmonia Chorus, Stefan Bevier, and this concert marks his debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Verdi's Requiem with Daniele Gatti
In Verdi's bicentenary year, the Philharmonia Chorus took part in a performance of his Requiem on Saturday 20 April with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Daniele Gatti at the Royal Festival Hall, with soloists Krassimira Stoyanova, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Francesco Meli, and Carlo Colombara.
Recent Reviews
Verdi - Requiem
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Daniele Gatti
Royal Festival Hall, London, 20 April 2013
21 / 04 / 2013
An outstanding Verdi Requiem - 'Every once in a while, I hear a concert that grips me from the first note and doesn’t let go until the very last......When the chorus sang of trembling before the judge on judgement day, the sibilance of “discussurus” sent shivers up your spine.....I could name a dozen more instances where the word setting came through with extraordinary power......Throughout the work, the chorus produced a sensational amount of sound, doing so with clear diction and well defined variation of expression.'
David Karlin, www.bachtrack.com, 21 April 2013
★★★★★
Verdi Requiem specialists deliver a memorable performance - 'The Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus phrased like the old alliance we know them to be from the days when Carlo Maria Guilini first brought a truly Italianate Verdi Requiem to the capital.'
Edward Seckerson, www.theartsdesk.com, 21 April 2013
'.....the response from the Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra was beyond reproach, the Chorus continuing to benefit from Stefan Bevier’s preparatory skills.'
Colin Anderson, www.classicalsource.com, 21 April 2013
'The Philharmonia Chorus were on blistering form throughout'
Tim Ashley, The Guardian, 22 April 2013
★★★★
Daniele Gatti leads a tremendous Verdi Requiem '....the superbly balanced chorus gave the sense of something afoot that none could foresee........Krassimira Stoyanova attained some drama at the recited ‘Libera me’, before the chorus entered with its magnificent counterpoint – all parts clear, despite the massive numbers on display.'
Colin Clarke, http://www.seenandheard-international.com, 22 April 2013
'With their fine chorus, and under the baton of Daniele Gatti, the Philharmonia gave a grippingly coherent performance of Verdi's Requiem. The performance as a whole had a rare and concentrated focus.'
Hilary Finch, The Times, 23 April 2013
...this gripping performance...
Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times, 28 April 2013
Howells - Stabat Mater
BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Stephen Cleobury
Chapel of King's College, Cambridge, 29 March 2013
16 / 04 / 2013
'The last of Howells three major works for chorus and orchestra, it is the least performed - but that might have something to do with its considerable challenges, spendidly met here. In particular, the score calls for a tenor soloist able to ride the chorus and orchestra with anguished cries, and John Daszak negotiated the high lines magnificently. The Philharmonia Chorus was equally powerful in its soul-piercing contributions.'
John Allinson, The Sunday Telegraph, 7 April 2013
Beethoven - Symphony No.9 'Choral'
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen
Royal Festival Hall, London, 27 September 2012
1 / 10 / 2012
'The performance only came fully to life in the vocal sections, thanks to the powerful, lusty singing of the Philharmonia Chorus, superbly trained by Stefan Bevier. Full-blooded and full-toned, the choristers provided the dynamism that had hitherto been lacking.'
Graham Rogers, www.classicalsource.com, 28 September 2012
'In the finale, the warm-throated Philharmonia Chorus stood rock-solid.'
Geoff Brown, The Times, 1 October 2012
Elgar - The Dream of Gerontius
Hamburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jeffrey Tate
Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, 16 September 2012
23 / 09 / 2012
'The 120 singers of the Philharmonia Chorus from London in which Tate himself sang as a young man, were capable of arousing goose pimples, not least by way of a magically quiet yet voluminous pianissimo, which one can usually only experience and hear from the very best professional choirs.'
Marcus Stäbler, Hamburger Abendblatt, 18 September 2012
'In some of the more restrained moments the Philharmonia Chorus produced the transparency and delicacy of a chamber choir; in the second part, where the really dramatic climaxes of the work are to be found, the chorus came through with a force that pierced bone and marrow.'
Die Welt, 18 September 2012


