REVIEW OF VERDI REQUIEM
BAHRAIN HERALD TRIBUNE
Simply spellbinding
Verdi’s Requiem wins thunderous applause
Mark Summers
Staff Reporter
An exquisite performance of Italian composer
Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem was rapturously received
by an audience at the Bahrain National Cultural Hall
last night. The long-planned staging of one of the
classical genius’ most distinctive works by the
Manama Singers and friends delighted both novice
and expert alike and was just reward for the hard work
of the organisers and musicians alike.There was an
expectant air in the hall as the audience filed in for the
evening’s performance, preparing to hear what had
been described as the first performance of Verdi’s
masterwork in the Middle East.
The execution of such a renowned and complex work
always has the potential to be fraught with danger,
particularly given that the Manama Singers were
welcoming a large number of guest musicians and
vocalists with whom they only had two days to
rehearse. However if there were nerves it didn’t show
and as a hush fell over the audience and the first notes
of the Requiem segued around the large hall it was
clear those who had made the journey on this Friday
night were in for something special.
Verdi’s Requiem is unanimously acknowledged to
belong to the canon of classical music’s greatest
works and to hear it performed here with such zest
was indeed a rare treat. Expertly navigating the
complex shifts in tone and tempo, the performance
ranged from the understated and melodic to the
passages that were thrillingly cacophonous,
resounding around the spacious hall. Verdi
composed his Requiem in 1873 following the death of
his close friend, Italian novelist Alessandro Manzoni.
Inspired by passages from the Catholic Mass for the
Dead, the composer created a work designed to
encapsulate the images of death and the afterlife from
abject fear to wondrous joy.
Perhaps the most striking passage of last night’s
performance was also the most recognisable – the
epic Dies Irae section, which benefited from huge
orchestration and was played with real gusto. Many of
last night’s performers are renowned within the field,
but it seems remiss to single any one artist out for
praise given the wonderful efforts of the collective as a
whole. Having said that, the Manama Singers’ musical
director Alistair Auld deserves a special mention for
his hard work to realise such an enjoyable evening of
musical delights.
In her programme notes chair Susie Spratt revealed
that the performance was the most ambitious the
group had ever undertaken, featuring as it did over 160
musicians and singers on the stage. Over half of those
who added so expertly to the performance are
residents of Bahrain.
Upon leaving the Cultural Hall, after a sustained and
enthusiastic ovation from the audience, many were
heard to express their enjoyment of the evening. Like
them, we wait with baited breath for the Singers’ next
venture.
BAHRAIN HERALD TRIBUNE
Simply spellbinding
Verdi’s Requiem wins thunderous applause
Mark Summers
Staff Reporter
An exquisite performance of Italian composer
Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem was rapturously received
by an audience at the Bahrain National Cultural Hall
last night. The long-planned staging of one of the
classical genius’ most distinctive works by the
Manama Singers and friends delighted both novice
and expert alike and was just reward for the hard work
of the organisers and musicians alike.There was an
expectant air in the hall as the audience filed in for the
evening’s performance, preparing to hear what had
been described as the first performance of Verdi’s
masterwork in the Middle East.
The execution of such a renowned and complex work
always has the potential to be fraught with danger,
particularly given that the Manama Singers were
welcoming a large number of guest musicians and
vocalists with whom they only had two days to
rehearse. However if there were nerves it didn’t show
and as a hush fell over the audience and the first notes
of the Requiem segued around the large hall it was
clear those who had made the journey on this Friday
night were in for something special.
Verdi’s Requiem is unanimously acknowledged to
belong to the canon of classical music’s greatest
works and to hear it performed here with such zest
was indeed a rare treat. Expertly navigating the
complex shifts in tone and tempo, the performance
ranged from the understated and melodic to the
passages that were thrillingly cacophonous,
resounding around the spacious hall. Verdi
composed his Requiem in 1873 following the death of
his close friend, Italian novelist Alessandro Manzoni.
Inspired by passages from the Catholic Mass for the
Dead, the composer created a work designed to
encapsulate the images of death and the afterlife from
abject fear to wondrous joy.
Perhaps the most striking passage of last night’s
performance was also the most recognisable – the
epic Dies Irae section, which benefited from huge
orchestration and was played with real gusto. Many of
last night’s performers are renowned within the field,
but it seems remiss to single any one artist out for
praise given the wonderful efforts of the collective as a
whole. Having said that, the Manama Singers’ musical
director Alistair Auld deserves a special mention for
his hard work to realise such an enjoyable evening of
musical delights.
In her programme notes chair Susie Spratt revealed
that the performance was the most ambitious the
group had ever undertaken, featuring as it did over 160
musicians and singers on the stage. Over half of those
who added so expertly to the performance are
residents of Bahrain.
Upon leaving the Cultural Hall, after a sustained and
enthusiastic ovation from the audience, many were
heard to express their enjoyment of the evening. Like
them, we wait with baited breath for the Singers’ next
venture.
