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[mzoxolovimbastudio]

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[agibsongirl]

Culture Cat: CSO--Verdi's "Requiem"

also titled, Emily discovers the opera world's best young tenor. PERIOD.

I've really been looking forward to CSO's presentation of Verdi's Requiem. I sang it my freshman year of college (almost precisely 10 years ago, yikes!)--we spend the entire second semester going over it with a fine, fine, fine tooth comb. (If you'd see my score--which I still have--you'd believe it)

When you spend four solid months on something this massive, it's really hard to forget. I loved singing it so much that I knew I had to attend this concert. (And I was pleasantly surprised to see how much I retained! I could've been up there with the altos!)

The Verdi Requiem is unique is many ways, but a few of the main notes are its emphasis on chorus (the chorus part is enormous. It's a beast) and the soli--soprano, mezzo, tenor, bass. Some movements are entirely chorus, some are chorus/soloist combinations, and some are just soloists. It is 90 minutes of tremendous music, and Maestro Jean-Marie Zeitouni kept it all going splendidly. He has worked as a choral conductor, and that was hugely helpful here. Most conductors just sort of cue the chorus in works like this (by "cue", I mean generally wave the baton in their direction). Not Maestro Zeitouni. He paid real attention to that wall of singers, which resulted in glorious, crisp sound, vibrant dynamics, and a truly wonderful performance, especially in the extremely difficult double-chorus Sanctus and the final movement, Libera Me.

So, that part above about best young operatic tenor EVER? Yeah. It was Michael Fabiano, the tenor in this performance. Only 26 years old, this young tenor from New Jersey was the star of the Met's documentary The Audition (which he won) and has made his debut at the Met. He has also sung Alfredo in Traviata, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly. He will soon be making his Paris Opera debut as Cassio in Otello.

Yeah, he's, um,  26.

His voice is divine. It's as if he was born to sing Verdi. He was relaxed, clearly enjoying himself, and his voice was powerful, but not overbearing. His tone is absolutely gorgeous--crystal clear-- and his sense of phrasing is perfect. He was especially wonderful in the tenor solo "Ingemisco" in the second movement, and in the Lux aeterna trio.

Really, this singer is going places. And he seems like a genuinely nice guy, to boot. So if you get the chance to hear him, drop everything, and go. When he's a huge star in five to ten years, you will thank me.

(I say five to ten years because a person's voice doesn't really mature until the early 30s--so I'm not vocally mature yet, either. But really, if this tone, technique and musicality keep up, he's going to be absolutely jaw-droppingly fantastic when his voice is fully mature.)

Second in my favorite-soloist competition was mezzo Elizabeth Bishop. She has sung several roles at the Met (including the Second Norn in Gotterdamerung) and with opera companies around world. Her voice is warm and rich, with a wonderful timbre and sense of expression. She seemed to enjoy herself the most, connecting with the audience and feeling the music with her entire self. She was pitch-perfect in the difficult mezzo role, especially the Liber scriptus and Quid Sum Miser in the second movement. She and soprano Leah Crocetto shared several duets--the melting Recordare, and the terrifically exposed Agnus Dei--and I believe Bishop was the stronger singer. She latched on to her part and sang it fearlessly, while I detected some timidity in Crocetto that I was not expecting. However, by the time we reached the final movement, with its elaborate solo soprano line, Crocetto was markedly more confident and the line blossomed over the full chorus and orchestra.

Bass Jake Gardner's voice was occasionally lost amid the orchestra, or not strong enough to match the other soloists (and it was not a case of the other soloists over-singing). But when he was heard, he gave a sensitive interpretation of the Requiem Mass, especially in the Lux aeterna trio with Fabiano and Bishop.

The CSO itself was splendid. This is (as one of my old conductors would say) GREAT WORKS music--strong, intense, and immensely complex. Iconic.

Every single section was solid, following the maestro's directions perfectly. Unlike when I sang the Requiem, the cello sections was meltingly beautiful in the exposed Offetorio opening. Principal bassoonist Betsy Sturdevant was terrific in the Quid Sum Miser solo, while principal timpanist Benjamin Ramirez must have had a crashing time with the opening of the Dies Irae. The horns, with their page of soli playing in the Dies Irae, were assertive and almost bold in the tuba mirum--just as they should be.

The Verdi Requiem is one of the greatest musical compositions of all time. With brilliant solo work, and wonderful chorus and orchestra, it is easy to see why. The CSO has done itself very, very proud in this outing.