Prom 6: Verdi Requiem, BBC NOW / BBC NCW, L. Moore/Cargill/Baek/S. Howard/Bancroft

[bluestateprommer]

Tuesday 23 July 2024
19:00
Royal Albert Hall

Verdi: Messa da Requiem

Latonia Moore, soprano (Proms debut artist)
Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano
SeokJong Baek, tenor (Proms debut artist)
Soloman Howard, bass (Proms debut artist)

BBC National Orchestra of Wales
BBC National Chorus of Wales
Crouch End Festival Chorus

Ryan Bancroft, conductor

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/enc2rz

https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/proms/bbc-proms-24/prom-6/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00214f7

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021dg5

[edashtav]

The pianissimo start was hush, hush and when the men came in with their loud assertions there was no rawness of tone.The tenor soloist did not impress as much, initially, as his colleagues. 149 years ago Verdi brought a team of Italian Opera stars with him. Critics enthused and wished the quartet had stayed on to add zest to the English Opera season. That thought surfaced because I felt tonight's soli were exceedingly operatic.
The choirs' shrieking terminal notes in the Dies Irae added fearsome Welsh dragons to the enveloping wrath.

The Royal Albert Hall seems to me the perfect venue for this most dramatic of all Requiems.i wonder how many times the work has been heard in the RAH since Verdi himself conducted the first British performance 149 years ago? Surely more than 1 per year?
This was the first 'Welsh' ( forgive me Crouch End!)production of the work that I've heard and it did not disappoint despite no Welsh divas amongst the fine soloists.
The orchestra was in fine fettle after its summer break. There were two or three moments when the soli went out of synch with the orchestra but these smudges did not detract from the excellent musicality of the whole brought to us from the land of song.

[Ein Heldenleben]

The pianissimo start was hush, hush and when the men came in with their loud assertions there was no rawness of tone.The tenor soloist did not impress as much, initially, as his colleagues. 149 years ago Verdi brought a team of Italian Opera stars with him. Critics enthused and wished the quartet had stayed on to add zest to the English Opera season. That thought surfaced because I felt tonight's soli were exceedingly operatic.
The choirs' shrieking terminal notes in the Dies Irae added fearsome Welsh dragons to the enveloping wrath.

The Royal Albert Hall seems to me the perfect venue for this most dramatic of all Requiems.i wonder how many times the work has been heard in the RAH since Verdi himself conducted the first British performance 149 years ago? Surely more than 1 per year?
This was the first 'Welsh' ( forgive me Crouch End!)production of the work that I've heard and it did not disappoint despite no Welsh divas amongst the fine soloists.
The orchestra was in fine fettle after its summer break. There were two or three moments when the soli went out of synch with the orchestra but these smudges did not detract from the excellent musicality of the whole brought to us from the land of song.

I wish they had employed a “Welsh Diva “ tonight as one of the soloists had a tough day at the office …

[Darkbloom]

This was a tremendous performance. The soprano put down her score for the Libera Me and was interacting with the chorus and orchestra in a way I haven't seen before. This was certainly the most full-on operatic performance I've ever heard of the Requiem. All the soloists were very good and it was nice to hear a genuine bass who could handle the notes.

The conducting was absolutely outstanding. I was near the front and the whole piece flowed in a way I've never heard equalled. Although I love Verdi I've always found the Requiem a bit phoney, but when it's performed like this it carries you away. If we hear anything this good during the season we will be very fortunate.

[edashtav]

This was a tremendous performance. The soprano put down her score for the Libera Me and was interacting with the chorus and orchestra in a way I haven't seen before. This was certainly the most full-on operatic performance I've ever heard of the Requiem. All the soloists were very good and it was nice to hear a genuine bass who could handle the notes.

The conducting was absolutely outstanding. I was near the front and the whole piece flowed in a way I've never heard equalled. Although I love Verdi I've always found the Requiem a bit phoney, but when it's performed like this it carries you away. If we hear anything this good during the season we will be very fortunate.

Well recorded , Darkbloom , I agree that Ryan Bancroft was superb!

[Paŭlo]

Just home after watching this one from the gallery. I don't know much about this classical lark compared with most of you on here but the singing was lush tonight! Also, nice for the NOW and RB to get such a great reception after playing to a pretty sparse house last night.

[Darkbloom]

Just home after watching this one from the gallery. I don't know much about this classical lark compared with most of you on here but the singing was lush tonight! Also, nice for the NOW and RB to get such a great reception after playing to a pretty sparse house last night.

It's always fun when artists are new to the Proms. In this case three were making their debut and they seemed quite overwhelmed by the reception. I expect they are used to something a bit more reserved. I noticed that Latonia Moore was in tears at the end and Karen Cargill was doing her best to calm her down.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Pretty balanced review I think.

https://theartsdesk.com/classical-music/prom-6-verdis-requiem-bbcnow-bancroft-review-running-emotional-gamut#:~:text=Goosebumps%20and%20tears%20came%20in,there's%20never%20a%20dull%20or

[edashtav]

I agree : balanced. Whilst mentioning live warts including a whopper in an unaccompanied section it comes out on the side of the angels in the choirs and orchestra who sang and played so well.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I agree : balanced. Whilst mentioning live warts including a whopper in an unaccompanied section it comes out on the side of the angels in the choirs and orchestra who sang and played so well.

A very fine performance but I have to say nothing is likely to eclipse memories of Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha at opening night 2022 . I don’t expect to hear singing like that in this piece ever again.

[Cockney Sparrow]

It will be broadcast on BBC 4 at 8pm on Friday.

[Keraulophone]

This was definitely worth the 600-mile round trip. A wonderful performance of a work that I enjoy afresh each time I hear it, especially in live performance; there’s something unexpected or ingenious around the corner. We were sitting [NB not ‘sat’] just to the left of the three bass drums. The player put every sinew into bashing the smaller horizontal pair for the Dies irae, while the huge vertical drum, taller than him, growled and thudded in deep tones; in particular a soft thud on the very last note, something one can’t fully appreciate in a sound recording.

Thw BBC National Chorus of Wales plus Crouch End chorus were absolutely superb: diction, attack, individual sections and tutti, in both loud and soft passages. The BBC NOW were very committed under their chief conductor Ryan Bancroft, who inspired his forces to give of their best. In the Tuba mirum the trumpets echoing from the gallery in response to those onstage produced a glorious barrage of sound when joined by the full brass section and timps. Sadly, the soloists, apart from the expressive mezzo Karen Cargill, were disappointing, despite all having fine voices. Soprano Latonia Moore was quoted in the programme as having had a long and meaningful relationship with the work, but her persistent swooping and frequent sharpness, especially in the final Libera me section, was off-putting. Her top B flat was the opposite of a floated pianissimo: loud and far too short. The solo quartet were not always together, and the tenor was a long way behind the orchestra at one point.

However, despite those issues, we came away thrilled at hearing this great work in the RAH, where Verdi had conducted the first performance in this country one year after its premiere 150 years ago.

[Ein Heldenleben]

This was definitely worth the 600-mile round trip. A wonderful performance of a work that I enjoy afresh each time I hear it, especially in live performance; there’s something unexpected or ingenious around the corner. We were sitting [NB not ‘sat’] just to the left of the three bass drums. The player put every sinew into bashing the smaller horizontal pair for the Dies irae, while the huge vertical drum, taller than him, growled and thudded in deep tones; in particular a soft thud on the very last note, something one can’t fully appreciate in a sound recording.

Thw BBC National Chorus of Wales plus Crouch End chorus were absolutely superb: diction, attack, individual sections and tutti, in both loud and soft passages. The BBC NOW were very committed under their chief conductor Ryan Bancroft, who inspired his forces to give of their best. In the Tuba mirum the trumpets echoing from the gallery in response to those onstage produced a glorious barrage of sound when joined by the full brass section and timps. Sadly, the soloists, apart from the expressive mezzo Karen Cargill, were disappointing, despite all having fine voices. Soprano Latonia Moore was quoted in the programme as having had a long and meaningful relationship with the work, but her persistent swooping and frequent sharpness, especially in the final Libera me section, was off-putting. Her top B flat was the opposite of a floated pianissimo: loud and far too short. The solo quartet were not always together, and the tenor was a long way behind the orchestra at one point.

However, despite those issues, we came away thrilled at hearing this great work in the RAH, where Verdi had conducted the first performance in this country one year after its premiere 150 years ago.

My thoughts exactly Keraulophone but I was too squeamish to name names! The Radio Three balance was superb so one could hear every detail with the Tuba Mirum exceptional.

[Keraulophone]

The Times (NF, 24/7/24) is even more scathing:

‘Latonia Moore, while throwing almost everything but the kitchen sink at the music, was more erratic than seraphic, her bluesy phrasing and uneven pitching adding the wrong sort of jeopardy. Come the final Libera Me, her soprano was not so much floating heavenward as simply adrift.’

[Pulcinella]

David Nice, however, is nicer in his Arts Desk review:

https://www.theartsdesk.com/classical-music/prom-6-verdis-requiem-bbcnow-bancroft-review-running-emotional-gamut