AMERICAN FESTIVAL CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA, Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, Cathedral of the Madeleine, Nov. 11; second performance 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12, Ellen Eccles Theatre, 43 S. Main, Logan, tickets at 435-752-0026 or www.americanfestivalchorus.org
Benjamin Britten was a life long pacifist, so it was only natural for him to write something like the War Requiem where he could express his personal feelings. The work was written for a specific occasion – the 1962 rededication of Coventry Cathedral, which had been destroyed in the early days of World War II – but its appeal is universal and timeless. Many anti war works have come out of the 20th century, but certainly none has made a greater impact than Britten’s, in large part because the horrors of war depicted here are viewed through the eyes of the common soldier.
In the War Requiem, Britten deftly blends the traditional text of the Catholic Mass for the dead with selected poems by Wilfred Owen, a young British soldier killed in the final days of World War I who graphically yet eloquently describes what it feels like to experience war firsthand. And the War Requiem’s impact comes from this remarkable blending of the ancient words from the requiem and Owen’s evocative and at times spiritually tinged poems. The War Requiem is a work from the heart.
Craig Jessop rightly considers it to be one of Britten’s greatest works, and a work that he has wanted to conduct for years. And this weekend his dream became reality.
The former music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the current director of the American Festival Chorus and Orchestra (and dean of the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University), Jessop is the right person to direct this gargantuan work. One of the most talented and insightful choral/orchestral conductors of our day, Jessop brought his superb musicality and understanding of the War Requiem to bear in his interpretation at Friday’s performance in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.
Because there are so many different layers in the War Requiem, one of the biggest obstacles facing a conductor is how to bring cohesiveness to the work. But for Jessop, that wasn’t a problem at all. His direction brought a seamless fluidity to the work; there was a natural flow between sections and between movements. This cohesiveness was also aided by Jessop’s carefully thought out tempos; nothing felt rushed and nothing dragged. It was a splendidly conceived and executed performance.
Jessop is also fortunate that he has some incredible singers and instrumentalists at his disposal. The American Festival Chorus and the USU Chamber Singers sang wonderfully. There is a richness and fullness to their singing that served the music well, and the cathedral was filled with their resonant, overtone laden voices. Their singing was also very articulate and expressive and conveyed the emotions in the texts well.
The Madeleine Choir School Choristers also did a fine job. They are one of the best children’s choirs in the state and they sang their considerable part with feeling and lyricism.
The large orchestra, as well as the chamber orchestra (comprised of the Fry Street Quartet and the Logan Canyon Winds) played marvelously. Their performance Friday was marked by nuance and subtlety, and Jessop managed to achieve a good balance between the choirs and the orchestras (not an easy feat to accomplish, given the cathedral’s lively acoustics).
Joining the ensembles were veteran singers Carol Vaness, soprano, and Stanford Olsen, tenor, and rising star Christopher Grundy, baritone.
Both Vaness and Olsen have sung the War Requiem numerous times over the years and they delivered at Friday’s performance. Vaness brought power, passion and feeling to her part, as did Olsen and Grundy. They are wonderful singers who brought musicality and eloquence to the performance.
This was easily one of the best concerts of the year, and anyone who was unable to attend should consider making the drive to Logan for tonight’s performance. No one will be disappointed.