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Philharmonia Orchestra and Philharmonia Chorus Brahms, Ein deutsches Requiem Saturday, 28th June 2008 Royal Festival Hall Lorin Maazel - Conductor Heidi Grant Murphy - Soprano Simon Keenlyside - Baritone Stefan Bevier - chorus master, Philharmonia Chorus Aidan Oliver - chorus master, Philharmonia Voices "...Maazel's clarity of direction and long-sighted view of the work drew the best from a rigorously trained Philharmonia Chorus. Theirs was the might and the power to move: in the easeful breathing of the opening blessing for those who mourn, and on to the powerful shifts of tempo and pacing as they sang of withering grass and fading flowers." Hilary Finch, The Times, 1.7.2008 "...Philharmonia Chorus... responded splendidly to Maazel's directions... well–deserved audience ovation." Agnes Kory, www.musicalcriticism.com/ "Throughout the performance, the Philharmonia Chorus... sounded to be in exceptional form." Philharmonia Chorus 50th Anniversary Concert Verdi, Messa da Requiem Wednesday 14th March 2007 7.30 p.m. Westminster Cathedral This Anniversary concert was performed in the presence of HRH The Prince of Wales, Patron of The Philharmonia Chorus and The Philharmonia Orchestra. Riccardo Muti - Conductor Olga Borodina - Mezzo-soprano Giuseppe Sabbatini - Tenor Petri Lindroos - Bass Robert Dean - Artistic Director and Chorus Master, Philharmonia Chorus Aidan Oliver - Chorus Master, Philharmonia Voices “Riccardo Muti has become a rare visitor to London, but this quite exceptional performance of Verdi's Messa da Requiem, with the cathedral providing an added sense of occasion, showed what this country's musical life has been missing. Not since Carlos Kleiber's last performances here has there been conducting of such imperious intensity as Muti brought to Verdi's masterpiece. There was something memorably awesome about the swirling waves of compound sound rolling down the nave in the climaxes... “This performance belonged to Muti. His grip was total. He asked for and received every ounce of effort from his massed forces.” Martin Kettle, Guardian, 19.3.07 “You want a sense of occasion for a 50th-birthday, and the Philharmonia Chorus celebrated with plenty of that sense at Westminster Cathedral... “...Verdi’s “Requiem” holds a special place in the history of the Philharmonia Chorus, not least the famous EMI recording under Carlo Maria Giulini. “...the Chorus acquitted itself in the finest of styles, with firm attack and unanimity not only in entries but also in standing and sitting. With the altar lit behind the choral singers, there could have been no better position for them and their singing, carefully moulded by Muti’s expressive gestures, and true to both work and occasion...All in all, this was an utterly splendid evening.” “Can there be a more awesome setting for Verdi’s Requiem — the most flamboyant melodrama in the canon of sacred choral masterpieces — than the great Neo-Byzantine nave of Westminster Cathedral? “The thwacks of the giant drum ricocheted round the arches like thunderclaps. The trumpets of the Dies Irae – placed high in the galleries – really did sound like a piercing summons from Heaven. True, the reverberant acoustics tended to blur the fast polyphonies of the Sanctus and Libera Me. But the same ambience magically lifted and sustained the pianissimo choral moments – at the opening, for instance – seemingly to infinity in the recesses of that vast, dark roof. “This was an auspicious night: a gala concert to mark the 50th anniversary of the Philharmonia Chorus, performed to a packed audience and the Prince of Wales... the combined ranks produced a thrilling sound.” “Spectacular gala performance of the Requiem in Westminster Cathedral... “It was a performance that will linger in the memory... silken strings underpinned beautifully blended choral singing” John Allison, Sunday Telegraph |
