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CHORAL MUSIC REVIEW
James Conlon Vance George June 15, 2006
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A Requiem Eternal By Bruce Lamott
It's hard to imagine anyone who has had a greater influence on choral singing in the Bay Area than Vance George, whose near-quarter century as director of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus comes to a close with this summer's Verdi Requiem. It's sadly ironic that he should be leaving just as conductor James Conlon returns to the podium after as many years, as their powerful and transcendent performance on Thursday night was a serendipitous collaboration. George, who has served as sous-chef to an impressive roster of maestros and four music directors (as well as conducting his own performances of much of the standard choral repertoire), has created a vocal ensemble of roughly 200 singers (only 30 of whom are paid) that has kept pace with the rising artistic trajectory of the orchestra. It's no wonder that choral works figure prominently among the Symphony's finest recordings.
Conlon exploited the expressive range of the Chorus to its fullest, from the "choir invisible" of the first movement to the "choir infernal" of the "Dies irae." Indeed, the opening strains of "Requiem aeternam" seemed not to be intoned by the Chorus at all, but rather by some mystical musical presence floating above the hall. Pacing the silences as well as the drama of the grandiose moments, Conlon — conducting from memory — put his operatic instincts to full use to produce a performance of magnificent contrasts and dramatic propulsion.
The scene change from heaven to earth — and below — was effected by the startling entrance of the formidable solo quartet at the Kyrie. Most impressive was mezzo Stephanie Blythe, whose clarion upper register and tenor-ial chest tones delivered a riveting "Liber scriptus," yet softened to elegant lyricism in the "Recordare" duet. Her superb diction and technical control were all but forgotten by her captivating delivery. Soprano Christine Brewer (Leonora in last opera season's Fidelio), while powerfully soaring over the chorus and orchestra, swooped from note to note so predictably that her portamento lost its ability to be expressive. It was remarkable, however, to hear both of these powerhouse voices float in the hushed austere unisons of the Agnus Dei — an a cappella curve thrown by Verdi at his operatic soloists. Tenor Frank Lopardo was at his best in the penitent stanzas of the "Dies irae" and the lyrical "Hostias." Despite heroic gesticulations, however, he could not muster enough volume to overcome the orchestral competition. Vitalij Kowaljow made his Symphony debut with a mellow but less-than-imposing timbre, prone to sagging on sustained tones. Uncertain intonation in the unaccompanied portions of the "Lux aeterna" trio raised this listener's anxiety for the reentry of the orchestra. The orchestra responded to Conlon's shaping with appropriate brimstone and ambrosia. The brass announced the Day of Judgment with close-order precision, reinforced by the ballistics of the timpani and bass drum. Woodwind tracery embellishing the solo quartet ("Quid sum miser") and the flute arabesques of the Agnus Dei brought out the colorful detail of Verdi's orchestration. Only in the "Hosanna" fugue did exuberance threaten to unravel the tightly knit ensemble. Above all, it was the all-out, "win one for the Gipper" enthusiasm that marked this valediction for Vance. Not only has he left us a world-class choral ensemble worthy of our Symphony, but a full generation of choristers have disseminated "Vance-isms" to the far reaches of the choral world. He takes a rightful place in the pantheon of his mentors — Margaret Hillis, Robert Shaw, and Robert Page, to name a few. I could not imagine a performance to make us miss him more.
(Bruce Lamott is director of the Philharmonia Choral, the professional chorus of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and was formerly choral director of the Carmel Bach Festival. He teaches music history at San Francisco University High School and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.)
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James Conlon
Vance George