Prom 13: Sunday 24th July: Verdi Requiem

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Presented by Donald Macleod

Verdi's Requiem - his great sacred masterpiece - storms the heavens with a stellar line up of soloists and massed choirs in the second of the Proms Choral Sundays.

The ultimate in dramatic intensity, this extraordinary work speaks of heaven and hell, fire and earth, darkness and light in music that is as much theatrical as devotional. Verdi completed it in 1874, and conducted the premiere himself in Milan.

Three large-scale choirs and the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by a Verdi specialist whose recent Cologne recording, which also featured bass Ferruccio Furlanetto, has been much acclaimed. Soloists Marina Poplavskaya and Joseph Calleja both sang alongside Furlanetto in last year's Simon Boccanegra at the Royal Opera House.

Verdi: Requiem

Marina Poplavskaya (soprano)
Mariana Pentcheva (mezzo-soprano)
Joseph Calleja (tenor)
Ferruccio Furlanetto (bass)

BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC National Chorus of Wales
London Philharmonic Choir
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Semyon Bychkov (conductor)

[Chris Newman]

Prom 13: Sunday24th July: Verdi Requiem

Verdi Requiem

Marina Poplavskaya - Soprano
Mariana Pentcheva - Mezzo soprano
Joseph Calleja- Tenor
Ferruccio Furlanetto- Bass

BBC Symphony Chorus (CM Stephen Jackson)
BBC National Chorus of Wales (CM Adrian Partington)
London Philharmonic Choir (CM Neville Creed)

BBC Symphony Orchestra
Semyon Bychkov

The silence at the end said it all. Perhaps a minute: it felt like it.

I have just got home on Cloud Nine.

I was never lucky enough to hear Giulini conduct the work at a Prom but I have four different recordings (one a DVD) by him. The best recording was his Prom.

I had high expectations of Bychkov's performance: he is always so special. This Requiem is surely up there with Giulini's. The choruses were really immaculate. As always in live performances the tricky trumpet parts were mostly note perfect but sometimes slipped in togetherness, otherwise the BBCSO again showed its formidable high standards this season. It was fascinating to see and hear Sam Elliott, the tuba player, playing a "Cimbasso". In fifty odd years of concert going I have never seen or heard one. It looks like something that has escaped from a chemistry lab. It stands upright, has valves like a french horn and points at the conductor like an over-excited blunderbuss. An incredibly complicated piece of pipework: it sounds like those splendid continental tubas that fire the sound forward.

The soloists were a powerhouse. Three of them are very familiar from the ROH and last year's Simon Boccenegra Prom. Marina Poplavskaya does not have the biggest soprano in the world but she rides the chorus and orchestra thrillingly and she sings Verdi so expressively and sweetly. Mariana Pentcheva the Mezzo soprano was a late replacement for Sonia Ganassi. She took a while to warm but was good. The tenor Joseph Calleja was superb. His Hostias brought an astonishing hush and communal tears throughout the hall. Ferruccio Furlanetto can produce the most tummy wobbling bottom bass notes and one warmed some beautiful top ones too. As soloists and in ensemble pieces thay took one's breath away.

[salymap]

I thoroughly enjoyed it too Chris and the silence at the end before the applause was the icing on the cake.

Thought the bass wobbled a bit but probably my hearing. Operatic, who cares? It's a wonderful work

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

Operatic? Hell, yes! It was a magnificent performance. My review is already up on the website:

http://www.opera-britannia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=546:prom-13-verdi-requiem-royal-albert-hall-24th-july-2011&catid=10:concert-and-recital-reviews&Itemid=16

[amac4165]

I thought it a very odd performance - the tempi seemed all over the place - some of the sections were so slow I wondered if we would ever get home ! None of the soloists looked very happy ! the look of "wtf" is going on that Calleja gave Bychkov at one point was extraordinary ! I am not sure Furlanetto was on top form - as he kept holding his nose ! but he still managed to convey the operatic element of the part better than i have ever heard.

Overall I think the choirs came out best as I think the reviews are saying .

[french frank]

I thought it a very odd performance - the tempi seemed all over the place - some of the sections were so slow I wondered if we would ever get home ! None of the soloists looked very happy ! the look of "wtf" is going on that Calleja gave Bychkov at one point was extraordinary ! I am not sure Furlanetto was on top form - as he kept holding his nose ! but he still managed to convey the operatic element of the part better than i have ever heard.

Overall I think the choirs came out best as I think the reviews are saying .

Hello, amac4165 - welcome.

It's quite unusual to have a thread here where everyone agrees - so you're making this one human! Not a work I'm addicted to, but I may have a listen on the iPlayer later.

[doversoul1]

I thought Donald Macleod’s quiet words of condolence to the people of Norway after the performance was very apt.

[Tevot]

Just finished listening to the performance on i-player. Re #3 thanks for the link to your review and your website. Re # 6. Both Donald Macleod and Jonathan Swain back in the studio seemed bowled over. The ending of the piece Chris - and the silence that followed - indeed said it all. Perhaps the requiem is about those still living trying to deal with loss and calamity?

Best Wishes,

Tevot

[NickWraight]

This was a thrilling, and very operatic, performance, on which Bychkov used his skills to exciting effect. Calleja was the most telling of the solo quartet with Pentcheva not far behind. The soprano and contralto duets were beautifully expressed with the latter's gravelly bottom range wonderfully contrasted with Poplavskaya. The soprano does not seem to be a natural Verdi singer, despite the work she is booked for: watching her, there seems to be rather to much effort involved and there is worrying wobble coming in.

Ferruccio Furlanetto is coming to the end of his career but what an intelligent and musical rendition he gave last night. The high lying phrases are effortful and a tad approximate with regard to pitch but the lower end is still beautifully expressive.

The 3 large choruses were excellent in not only the great explosions of sound that are frequently required but also the hushed, or whispered, sections which took on an almost other worldly richness.

This was the third performance I've heard in eight weeks and very different to the other 2, one of which was decidedly un-operatic, rather square and generally dull with a quartet of very mixed ability in a north of England Town Hall. The other, very much better, was given by an amateur SW London choral society with an excellent scratch professional band (on one rehaersal) and a good to very good quartet in a relatively small venue which gave the whole a Day of Judgment quality!

[Ferretfancy]

It's a long time since I heard the Requiem in the RAH, not since Giulini in fact at a non Proms performance. I thought this was very fine, with the quartet of soloists working very well together. The mezzo,Mariana Pentcheva, was a late replacement for Sonia Ganassi. I notice that she has often sung Amneris in Aida, and I thought last night that she had a voice similar to the great Giulietta Simionato, a famous Amneris. Bychkov emphasised the operatic quality of this beautiful piece. I found the whole evening very moving.

Thanks Chris for identifying the Cimbasso, I wondered what that glittering mass of tubes and valves was !

[mercia]

I thought Donald Macleod’s quiet words of condolence to the people of Norway after the performance was very apt.

I agree. I thought Mr Macleod sounded close to tears. I wish either he or Mr Cowan could introduce all the proms ............ pigs might fly.
I'm looking forward to the television broadcast of this performance, not least to see the cimbasso in action. The tenor was the stand-out soloist for me, a gorgeous voice. How did Mr Bychkov maintain that silence? Did his arms remain aloft?

[Chris Newman]

How did Mr Bychkov maintain that silence? Did his arms remain aloft?

He just stood with his head bowed towards the score.

I am not sure Furlanetto was on top form - as he kept holding his nose ! but he still managed to convey the operatic element of the part better than i have ever heard.

I am pretty sure it was a gesture (not quite a cross) each time he heard the word "Domine". I may be wrong.

IGI, thank you for that beautiful review (Message 3).

[Mahlerei]

Operatic? Hell, yes! It was a magnificent performance. My review is already up on the website:

http://www.opera-britannia.com/index...iews&Itemid=16

Good one, IGI Will definitely listen to this on the iPlayer tonight.

[NickWraight]

Bychkov's baton hand was against his chest at the end and after a few seconds he began to slowly lower it with a bowed head - well judged and thoughtful. Given the number of times he has conducted the BBCSO lately I can't help thinking he may well be in line for replacing Beholavek in 2012...

[perfect wagnerite]

I've just been catching up with this on iPlayer and I agree that it was an extraordinarily fine and moving performance. Yes, Bychkov is often slow (with a generous sprinkling of ritardando to boot) but it worked. For me this was a performance that achieved greatness in the quiet, contemplative moments with a quartet of soloists who really sang as an ensemble and whose soft singing was very beautiful. I'm not a huge fan of Calleja, whose fast vibrato can IMO come dangerously close to a bleat, but he sang gorgeously here.