Scotland

Verdi’s Requiem – Usher Hall, Edinburgh

The Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by the youthful and energetic Santa-Matias Rouvali, accompanied by the massed ranks of the brilliant Edinburgh Festival Chorus, lit up the Usher Hall tonight with a powerful rendition of Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem.

The argument continues whether this is more of an an opera than an ecclesiastical work, but one thing all can agree on is that it is packed full of drama.

The trumpet shall sound, through the places of the dead, and across the land

The multiple drum-heralded Dies Irae (one of Verdi’s most recognisable ‘Bangers’) never fails to send a shiver down my spine, and it was a joy to hear it rebounding around the great space that is the Usher Hall, surely the finest classical music venue in Edinburgh. You will rarely see the string section bow with such speed and ferocity, It really is quite a spectacle and what a sound!

However, requiring four soloists to work in close harmony, with great synergy, always makes this a challenging piece to pull off, both logistically and musically, and so it proved again tonight.

Soprano, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, having recently sung the Requiem in Salzburg, should have been in good voice, but strayed a little too close to the edge of vocal straining, soaring over the reworked Introit and finishing with a powerful final chorus. Falling into the ‘rough-diamond’ category, there is still some work to reach the highest notes with smooth and effortless ease, but this young singer has time on her side.

Bass, Tarek Nazmi, stood out at the other end of the scale, with an instrument of great beauty, but also magnificent darkness. A voice full and deep and rumbling, even as a whisper it sent shivers through the great hall, which leaned forward to hear it. It was a pity the voice struggled to convince in the mid tones and wobbled in transition to the required baritone notes, which are needed to lighten up the work.

Likewise, Rene Barbera was uninspiring, underpowered, having approached his tenor role with subtlety and tonal warmth and managed to rise to the falsetto demands admirably, his voice ultimately got swallowed up by the power of the chorus on too many occasions .

The best of the bunch, mezzo, Jennifer Johnston, who was also well received by critics when she sang the Requiem with RSNO last year, produced a fine rounded and warm performance which resonated with the music, and was the glue that held the four together.

A good performance, but not one that demanded the attention, a sure sign of which was my doodling from the mid-point onwards, which at least had the added benefit of keeping me awake!

Reviewer: Greg Holstead

Reviewed: 24th August 2024

North West End UK Rating: