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God (or Yannick) grant us eternal rest
Philadelphia Orchestra's Verdi "Requiem' (2nd review)
Steve Cohen
Verdi's monumental Requiem is effective with a wide range of interpretations. On one end of the spectrum is the lean approach of Arturo Toscanini. At the other end is the romantic, as in Eugene Ormandy's lush performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Both extremes are valid. I idolized Toscanini's interpretations of Verdi, yet I loved the gorgeous presentation I saw and heard with Ormandy, Leontyne Price and Richard Tucker at the Academy of Music in 1957. Yannick Nézet-Séguin says that his interpretation this past weekend was influenced by a 1940 Toscanini-NBC recording with Zinka Milanov and Jussi Bjoerling.
With the Philadelphia on Friday night, Yannick chose an approach closer to Ormandy's, revealing the warm sound of this orchestra and encouraging the quartet of famous singers— soloists he has conducted before in operas. Yannick proved himself flexible in responding to the breathing of each of them. Each section had individual character. Close attention was given to the words, and the intimate thoughts about death.
Dobrin reconsidered
Yannick's opening minutes of the Requiem contradicted Peter Dobrin's earlier conclusion in the Inquirer that a "bat-out-of-hell pace" is what "we've come to expect from him." The Orchestra and the Westminster Choir began the piece very slowly, in a hush, with the words asking God to hear this prayer. In succeeding passages, however, Nézet-Séguin chose vigorous and swift pacing to describe the terror of judgment and the dispatch of the sinful to flames and ashes.
What most set Yannick's conducting apart were the adjustments he made within sections, expanding to allow a singer to dwell for an extra second on a phrase without overdoing that. In the "Agnus Dei," Yannick set a lilting pace, a bit faster than the norm, which kept the music from sounding monotonous as the soprano and mezzo repeated their words about God granting eternal rest. Then the chorus entered and Nézet-Séguin slowed to create the reverential sound of communal prayer.
It's amazing to realize that the average age of these heavenly choristers was 21.
A barely opened mouth
The solo quartet was led by Marina Poplavskaya, who has starred with Nézet-Séguin at the Met in Don Carlo and Faust. She appeared tall and regal in a simple black gown and with her straight blonde hair falling to her hips. With her broad forehead and wide jawline, Poplavskaya was restrained in facial expression and allowed her words to do all the communicating. Although she barely opened her mouth, her large sound soared, especially in the final "Libera me" section.
The English mezzo Christine Rice, relatively unknown in this country, was also superb. Her tawny voice was well projected and evenly produced from the top to the bottom of her range.
The Mexican tenor Rolando VillazÓ³n, who was one of opera's brightest stars until he developed vocal problems a few years ago, made his return to the stage here after a lengthy recuperation. His high notes didn't ring out as they once did, and some of them showed unsteady pitch. Yet in his mid and lower range he exhibited a warm and resonant sound and excellent musicianship.
"'Kneeling and contrite'
Mikhail Petrenko, the Russian bass whom I'd seen in Wagner's Ring at the Met and the Marinsky Theatre, displayed a beautiful lyric voice, not so monumental in the profound lowest notes of his part. Instead of stressing the booming bottom notes, he conveyed the vulnerability of a man whom the text describes as "suppliant, kneeling, contrite." This approach tied into Nézet-Séguin's concept, which stressed the individual fears and hopes of the dying and those who mourn for them.
The Friday night concert that I attended was unique, because Poplavskaya announced Saturday that she was suffering asthmatic problems; at the Sunday matinee she was replaced by Angela Meade, the Academy of Vocal Arts alumna who is now a rising Met star. I regret I didn't have the opportunity to enjoy that experience, too.♦
To read another review by Dan Rottenberg, click here.
To read another review by Tom Purdom, click here.
Both extremes are valid. I idolized Toscanini's interpretations of Verdi, yet I loved the gorgeous presentation I saw and heard with Ormandy, Leontyne Price and Richard Tucker at the Academy of Music in 1957. Yannick Nézet-Séguin says that his interpretation this past weekend was influenced by a 1940 Toscanini-NBC recording with Zinka Milanov and Jussi Bjoerling.
With the Philadelphia on Friday night, Yannick chose an approach closer to Ormandy's, revealing the warm sound of this orchestra and encouraging the quartet of famous singers— soloists he has conducted before in operas. Yannick proved himself flexible in responding to the breathing of each of them. Each section had individual character. Close attention was given to the words, and the intimate thoughts about death.
Dobrin reconsidered
Yannick's opening minutes of the Requiem contradicted Peter Dobrin's earlier conclusion in the Inquirer that a "bat-out-of-hell pace" is what "we've come to expect from him." The Orchestra and the Westminster Choir began the piece very slowly, in a hush, with the words asking God to hear this prayer. In succeeding passages, however, Nézet-Séguin chose vigorous and swift pacing to describe the terror of judgment and the dispatch of the sinful to flames and ashes.
What most set Yannick's conducting apart were the adjustments he made within sections, expanding to allow a singer to dwell for an extra second on a phrase without overdoing that. In the "Agnus Dei," Yannick set a lilting pace, a bit faster than the norm, which kept the music from sounding monotonous as the soprano and mezzo repeated their words about God granting eternal rest. Then the chorus entered and Nézet-Séguin slowed to create the reverential sound of communal prayer.
It's amazing to realize that the average age of these heavenly choristers was 21.
A barely opened mouth
The solo quartet was led by Marina Poplavskaya, who has starred with Nézet-Séguin at the Met in Don Carlo and Faust. She appeared tall and regal in a simple black gown and with her straight blonde hair falling to her hips. With her broad forehead and wide jawline, Poplavskaya was restrained in facial expression and allowed her words to do all the communicating. Although she barely opened her mouth, her large sound soared, especially in the final "Libera me" section.
The English mezzo Christine Rice, relatively unknown in this country, was also superb. Her tawny voice was well projected and evenly produced from the top to the bottom of her range.
The Mexican tenor Rolando VillazÓ³n, who was one of opera's brightest stars until he developed vocal problems a few years ago, made his return to the stage here after a lengthy recuperation. His high notes didn't ring out as they once did, and some of them showed unsteady pitch. Yet in his mid and lower range he exhibited a warm and resonant sound and excellent musicianship.
"'Kneeling and contrite'
Mikhail Petrenko, the Russian bass whom I'd seen in Wagner's Ring at the Met and the Marinsky Theatre, displayed a beautiful lyric voice, not so monumental in the profound lowest notes of his part. Instead of stressing the booming bottom notes, he conveyed the vulnerability of a man whom the text describes as "suppliant, kneeling, contrite." This approach tied into Nézet-Séguin's concept, which stressed the individual fears and hopes of the dying and those who mourn for them.
The Friday night concert that I attended was unique, because Poplavskaya announced Saturday that she was suffering asthmatic problems; at the Sunday matinee she was replaced by Angela Meade, the Academy of Vocal Arts alumna who is now a rising Met star. I regret I didn't have the opportunity to enjoy that experience, too.♦
To read another review by Dan Rottenberg, click here.
To read another review by Tom Purdom, click here.
What, When, Where
Philadelphia Orchestra: Verdi, Requiem. Marina Poplavskaya, soprano; Christine Rice, mezzo-soprano; Rollando VillazÓ³n, tenor; Mikhail Petrenko, bass; Westminster Symphonic Choir (Joe Miller, director); Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. October 19-21, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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