Saturday, May 15, 2010

concert: Verdi's Requiem

Wow, that was amazing!

Verdi's Requiem is very dramatic choral Mass, with a lot of solo bits throughout - which makes sense considering Verdi's main line of work was opera.

Last night and again tonight, the Modesto Symphony Orchestra and Chorus performed/will perform this intense piece. The show last night was tremendous - the finest MSO chorus performance I've heard yet. The group kept a strong tone through some very difficult passages, all the while keeping the focus on the operatic drama of the Mass. The soloists were all excellent, in particular the alto and bass, both of whom had distinctive voices for their parts (really the alto is a mezzo-soprano and the bass is a baritone-bass, but whatevs). Terrific, terrific stuff that should have gotten a rave review in the Modesto Bee - but I didn't see one there, hence me putting on the music reviewer hat.

Go see it!

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