Tovey, Terfel and BSO deliver a deeply moving Brahms Requiem
The heroes of the evening were the members of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, prepared by Bill Cutter, who sang with crystalline diction and a tender emotional touch. Their rendering of the briskly moving chorus “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen” crested and broke in gentle waves. Some of the most reverent singing came in the final movement, “Selig sind die Toten,” where the sopranos, tenors, and basses spun their melodies into a tapestry of rich sound, the text’s message of “Blessed are the dead” left to glow in the hall like faint light. Tovey and the orchestra supplied a velvety cushion of accompaniment. Warm solos from the oboe and flute peaked out every so often to add color to the textures of this majestic score.
AARON KEEBAUGH
Boston Classical Review
Tovey and the BSO deliver a bracing Brahms ‘Requiem’
“Ein deutsches Requiem” waxes eloquent in its three fugues, which proclaim the glory of the Lord. But elsewhere, especially in the first and last movements, it offers lukewarm comfort, addressing itself primarily to those left behind. This performance, however, was a blaze of ecstasy. Tovey kept it moving without rushing. The orchestra was pungent; Terfel’s two solos were well suited to his stentorian dramatics; Joshua was affecting if a bit strained. But the star of the evening was John Oliver’s Tanglewood Festival Chorus, massive in “Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras” and “Aber des Herrn Wort,” sprightly in “So seid nun geduldig,” swinging in “Die Erlöseten des Herrn,” sweet and swaying in “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen,” an irresistible force in “Herr, du bist würdig,” and crystal clear everywhere. In short: heaven on earth.
JEFFREY GANTZ
Boston Globe
Gounod reigns in belated U.S. Premiere of “La Reine de Saba” by Odyssey Opera
The heroes of this performance were the members of the Odyssey Opera Chorus, who, prepared by William Cutter, sang resplendently and with pristine diction as slaves, handmaidens, and other extras. The singers were at their best in Act 2, where they projected the horrors of Adoniram’s exploding bronze furnace with earth-shaking force.
AARON KEEBAUGH
Boston Classical Review
The chorus was also excellent, and they did a wonderful job bringing a sense of grandeur to the show’s bigger moments, from the chorus that heralds Balkis’ entrance all the way to the choral finale in which Balkis sees a vision of Adoniram going into heaven.
ARTURO FERNANDEZ
Schmopera
The Odyssey Opera orchestra—a large mid-19th-century style ensemble (including quadruple horns and trumpets)—had the responsibility of carrying the musical flow for the entire running time of the opera, which they did with wonderful color and energy. Gil Rose led the entire performance as if he’d known the opera for years. The large chorus, too, had extensive and challenging passages, both for mixed chorus and for the men on one hand, and two groups of women (representing those in the service of Balkis and others in the service of Solomon). Chorusmaster William Cutter gets credit for their unanimity and color of sound, as well as for their enrichment of the overall sonority in the largest moments.
STEVEN LEDBETTER
Boston Musical Intelligencer
For its part, the Odyssey Opera orchestra had plenty of shining moments: a triumphal march early on, and a lively ballet in Act IV that was no less engaging for the lack of dancers onstage. The same was true of the chorus, which made the most of the grand opera’s splendid crowd scenes.
ZOE MADONNA
Boston Globe
The chorus, prepared by William Cutter, supplied the beating heart of Dvořák’s lush score. The rousing choral numbers, sung with power and precision, captured the nationalistic fervor of the Russian people.
AARON KEEBAUGH
Boston Classical Review
The Odyssey Opera Chorus, trained by William Cutter with the help of Czech coach Becca Kenneally, undertook the challenge of learning an enormous part in a language hardly ever sung by trained singers in this country; in doing so they contributed mightily to the overall success.
STEVEN LEDBETTER
Boston Musical Intelligencer
In a way, though, the star of “Dimitrij” is the chorus, which as the Russian people is easily swayed in favor of Dimitri and just as easily swayed against him. Odyssey’s ensemble delivered on every count. It anguished over being tsarless orphans at the beginning of the opera, and again at the end.
JEFFREY GANTZ
Boston Globe
As beautifully Conducted by Gil Rose, with a seventy-plus exquisite chorus under the direction of Chorus Master William Cutter, this made Jordan Hall come alive as perhaps never before. It has a complex and convoluted plot that mirrors the complicated truths in history, occurring as it does just after the events in the better-known opera Boris Godunov.
JACK CRAIB
South Shore Critic
