Critics Corner

Ensembles Cast Spell With Formidable Requiem
By KURT LOFT
© The Tampa Tribune
Published: Nov 20, 2005


ST. PETERSBURG -- The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay proved again Saturday night why it ranks among the more respected choirs in the country, and its voice continues to add to a legacy of sound spanning 25 years.

The singers teamed with The Florida Orchestra at Pasadena Community Church in their first staging of Antonin Dvorak's Requiem, a rare but poignant creation that will go down as a highlight of the music season. Kudos to both groups for scheduling such a formidable work rather than repeating comfortable repertoire.

Although the Requiem lacks the dramatic punch of those by Berlioz and Verdi, it makes up for it in introspection, awe and melancholy. For nearly 100 minutes, listeners could only marvel at the musicians' seamless craftsmanship and concentration.

Essentially a work about the nature of existence, Dvorak's Requiem is a dreamscape, but one with a total integration of soloists, chorus and orchestra. Under the direction of guest conductor Grant Llewellyn and prepared by Richard Zielinski, the 140-voice chorus sounded like a finely tuned instrument from the opening "Rest eternal" to the perpetual light of the final section.

The Requiem unfolds in two large sections, the first suggesting death and ending with the "Lacrimosa," followed by an "Offertorium" that offers acceptance and consolation. Dvorak builds momentum from a four-note motif -- F, G-flat, E and F -- which appears in various guises more than 120 times.

Offstage trumpets heralded the "Tuba Mirum," and the women's voices sounded downright angelic in the "Quid Sum Miser" movement that followed. The searing strings in the "Confutatis" seemed to tear open the flesh, and the chorus as a whole squeezed every drop of emotion from its Amen at the end of the "Lacrimosa."

A strong rank of soloists included soprano Barbara Shirvis, mezzo Krista River, tenor Carl Halvorson and bass Stephen Powell. All sang with clarity and conviction, their voices intertwining in blissful resignation through the closing "Agnus Dei."

Performances continue tonight in Clearwater and Monday in Tampa.


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