Gr
SumreyAdvertiser 28th February 2003 13
RS
Cathedral rings out
to Verdi’s Requiem
THE audience witnessed a fantastic performance of Verdi’s
Requiem
by
the
Guildford
Philharmonic
Orchestra
in
Guildford Cathedral.
tone of the mezzo-soprano, Jean
The young British conductor
Edward Gardner, who is currently
was superb.
Rigby. Her freedom throughout
the entire register to deliver the
music with clarity while still
maintaining its dramatic impact
the other three more resonant
singers.
The
joint
forces
of the
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
and the Wokingham Choral
Society, numbering some 250,
towered above the orchestra and
the audience alike on the choir
staging. Their sheer volume during the fortissimos of the Dies irae
was exhilarating, while the sorrow that was portrayed in the
Lacrymosa made the music weep
like I have never experienced
“dynamics and emotions from the
Young bass-baritone D’Arcy
Bleiker has a sonorous voice with
some fine middle register colour
and it was he who battled to keep
the quartet
in tune“against the
wavering: intonation
‘of soprano
Claire Watson.
$
The line-up of soloists was
notice was William Kendall who, " before and the final
assistant conductor of the Hallé
Orchestra
in Manchester, direct-
ed the performance with tremendous enthusiasm, drawing an
extremely wide spectrum of
full compliment of the orchestra.
.dominated (in the best possible
way) by the rich and sensuous
Stepping in at less than a day’s
while not really being a Verdi
tenor, did hold his own against
fugue was truly uplifting.
‘
Libera me
Contributed