Empire Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 28 April 2012

FOR 138 years, ever since the first performance, the argument has raged over whether Verdi’s Requiem is too theatrical a work to fall within the genre of religious music.

THE fact that Verdi himself composed it as a concert piece in tribute to the writer Alessandro Manzoni seems to have been ignored, but not by Inverness Choral Society who performed this magnificent operatic spectacle for the fifth time in their history at Eden Court.

Inverness Choral at Eden Court

There were several features that made this performance so special. Firstly, the Society’s Chairman, Anne Gillies, tells in her Foreword that she had canvassed the members for their opinions about what they would like to sing. The result was a Verdi Requiem with added enthusiasm and zest.

Then there was the quartet of soloists. Had it not been for a nefarious bug all four would have been names well recognised on the international opera and concert circuit. More than one singing career has been launched by being a sudden replacement for a stricken artist, and so it should be for Brazilian tenor Emanoel Velozo, studying for his Master’s Degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He travelled north from Glasgow at short notice and delivered a flawless and brilliant performance.

The Inverness Choral Sinfonia, bolstered by one or two well-kent faces from the national orchestras, was in fine form, with the possible exception of a somewhat strident opening to the ‘Offertorio’, and took to heart the very theatricality of the Requiem with two pairs of off-stage trumpets adding fortissimo depth to the ‘Dies Irae’.

Then there was a theatricality to the very presentation. For the front cover of the programme booklet the Society had chosen part of a painting by local artist Clare Blois depicting a burning landscape (it might be something else – interpreting modern art has never been my strongest skill!), and this theme was carried over to the light projection onto the acoustic screens on the stage. For too many years there has been a dull plain grey backdrop to the stage for classical performances at Eden Court. Well done to whoever came up with the idea of projecting added atmosphere to the staging.

Conductor Gordon Tocher had exact control of his forces. No longer can the Choral be accused of imbalance, with the ladies being too powerful for the select number of gentlemen. The tenors and basses held their own throughout, and especially during the opening ‘Requiem aeternam’ that sets the scene for all that follows. They were all put to the test during the long ‘Dies Irae’ when the competition comes from the brass in the Sinfonia, but evenings of hard work paid off and the voices maintained the upper hand with clear and precise singing.

The soloists were as good as any that have sung with Inverness Choral. To emphasise the quality of the replacement tenor Emanoel Velozo it is sufficient to say that his ‘Ingemisco’, only lightly accompanied, was the main topic of conversation over the ice creams at half time. Graeme Danby brought his long and distinguished career to the bass solo role, with both his ‘Tuba Mirum’ and his ‘Confutatis’ being outstanding, shared with the explosions of bass drum and orchestra.

The ladies, mezzo Elizabeth Sikora and soprano Judith Howarth, fill major roles in Verdi’s Requiem, with two of the parts in duet form – the ‘Recordare’ in the ‘Dies Irae’ and the hauntingly beautiful ‘Agnus Dei’ that begins a capella. Ms Sikora sang excellently, with a warm velvety tone that was full of expression. Sadly, Judith Howarth must have been exposed to the same nefarious bug that laid her husband low and had provided the opportunity for Emanoel Velozo. For most of the performance she sang with the angelic purity that is expected from her distinguished reputation, but there were slight signs of difficulty in the ‘Agnus Dei’ and clearly her voice became merely mortal as it was under strain for part of her major involvement in ‘Libera Me’, the final section of the Requiem.

Major things are happening in the musical life of The Highlands. Twenty years ago the standard of singing and playing was only a shadow of the achievements today of the Inverness Choral Society and the Inverness Choral Sinfonia, and testimony to that improvement is the fact that the audience in the Empire Theatre were right up into the Second Circle. Following on from the standard-setting performance a month ago of Guys ‘n’ Dolls by Inverness Opera, this time Inverness Choral has raised the bar and delivered one of their very best concerts.

© James Munro, 2012

Links

• Inverness Choral