Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Quattro pezzi sacri:
i) Ave Maria
ii) Stabat Mater
iii) Laudi alla Vergine Maria
iv) Te Deum
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) Messa di Gloria:
i) Kyrie
ii) Gloria
iii) Credo
iv) Sanctus e Benedictus
v) Agnus Dei
Wow. These were my thoughts as I left the York Minster on Wednesday night, as the University of York’s concert season came to a dramatic finale. Everybody inside the famous cathedral was treated to a stunning surprise as the University of York Choir and Symphony Orchestra put on a staggering, extravagant performance of two giant choral works written by Italian opera specialists.
This time last year, we heard Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Mozart’s Requiem Mass, but in my opinion this performance trumped it. The splendour of the Minster provided the perfect venue for such a large-scale work; almost every seat was taken and, as we kicked off Verdi’s Quattro pezzi sacri, the evening sun beamed through the west window, illuminating the entire stage with a supernatural beauty.
The work, which translates as ‘Four Sacred Pieces’, was written towards the end of Verdi’s long life and was played during his funeral in 1901. The four movements were written during random points of Verdi’s later career across about a decade, and they were finally brought together in 1898. The two movements to note are the long, expansive Stabat Mater and Te Deum which are preceded by lullaby-like choral introductions.
The 219-strong choir, in full voice, seemed to shake the Minster with their collective power and the perfect acoustics provided a mystical edge to the experience. For example, at the start of the Stabat Mater, the violins tried to facilitate a slow, calm opening but were quickly consumed by the choir; a constant theme throughout the evening.
The orchestra, which included a huge brass section, and choir also worked brilliantly in tandem; the sopranos and altos were balanced perfectly by the cellos and bass and, conversely, the violins flirted with the bass singers. In short, conductor Peter Seymour brought out precisely what Verdi intended in the script.
Of course, Stabat Mater is an intense, sorrowful movement but occasionally there were moments of happiness as a pizzicato interlude brought about a respite towards the end. But this was brutally drowned out first by the brass instruments and then the entire choir, as the piece ended on an awe-inspiring climax.
After the brief, quiet Laudi, we were launched head-first into the Te Deum, which opened with a heroic unity of choir and orchestra as the pain of Stabat Mater was seemingly banished. Needless to say, Verdi challenges every performer, introducing unexpected stoccatos throughout the work, underpinned by a lyrical rondo, but here the choir and orchestra passed every test with dazzling flair. The trumpets introduced the final few bars as we steadily built up to one of the crescendos of this concert season.
After the break, it was time for Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, which, remarkably, was composed when Puccini was just a teenager and was well-received on its first performance in 1880. The composer’s future operatic success can be detected from his unique style in a religious setting; at times the work sounds nationalistic and dramatic.
Kyrie – the Greek word for “Lord” – opened with dreamy violins which quickly built up to the entire orchestra and choir. Every few bars, the wind instruments would sound, conveying a deep sense of doubt. The following Gloria bounced along with a positive vivacity, with its unusual patriotic traces, but somehow the orchestra made this sound perfectly normal.
Tenor Peter Davoren made an appearance in the Credo and his distinct voice perfectly complemented the tones of the increasingly-jovial choir and orchestra. This was immediately contrasted with the beginning of the Sanctus, which took on a sombre mood dictated by the brass as we entered a march-like passage. Bass singer Andrew Thompson added anguish and at times, the movement was almost Beethove-esque in its harshness and Mendelssohn-like when we encountered wave after wave of choral bursts. In the final movement, both singers combined and their voices were perfectly balanced as the audience was treated to the aforementioned happiness in the final moments.
Every clap in the round of applause was fully deserved by the performers, as York’s concert season ended in style. Haydn’s Creation in March is the next choral work to be played at the Minster and, if this is any indication, it will be equally impressive.
The brass section wasn’t massive!