National Concert Hall Requiem
Verdi's Requiem, according to the composer himself, was a work not to be sung "in the way one sings an opera". "Phrasing and dynamics that may be fine in the theatre", he added, "won't please me at all." It's not an injunction that many performers pay much heed to now, as the Bulgarian tenor Kaludi Kaludow reminded one at the NCH on Thursday night. And beyond concerns of style there were issues, both technical and musical, in his singing which made for seriously uncomfortable listening in parts of the work.
Peter Mikulas, the Bratislava-trained bass, was mostly firmer, but it was the two ladies, Irish soprano Orla Boylan and British mezzo soprano Jane Irwin (a late stand-in for the indisposed Patricia Bardon), who most successfully steered the solo singing away from the sort of dramatic bluster which so frequently passes muster in the opera house.
Orla Boylan, who's sadly being heard with decreasing frequency in her native land, sang with easy command, even though she took on the burden of attending to Verdi's dynamic markings with greater responsiveness than any of her colleagues. Her climaxes were thrilling and, even though her high ambition led her to a few mishaps, the results were worth the journey.
Alexander Anissimov directed proceedings with dramatic flair and his handling of the RTE Philharmonic Choir seemed exemplary. I don't know when I last heard a large choir in Dublin sing with such control, refinement and consistent unity of musical purpose. For the choral singing alone, this concert will remain long in the memory.