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I arrived at the Royal Albert Hall for last night's
gala performance of Verdi's Requiem fully expecting to take a charitable
stand.The conductor, Humphrey Burton, wasn't
a feted maestro but a filmmaker, biographer and arts guru who, at
70, was realising a life's ambition. In the event, the only charity
worth speaking of is the Prostate Research Campaign, beneficiary
of the event. Burton has been successfully
treated for prostate cancer.
There can't be a wannabe conductor in the land who
hasn't at one time imagined himself shaking a fist at Verdi's "Dies
irae". Burton's gestures were more moderate than I expected, but
they had the desired effect; there was plenty of power, his beat
was clear, his baton longer than most. He shaped a phrase much as
any seasoned maestro might, and his choice of speeds showed consideration
for his singers. These included soprano Claire Watson, at her dramatic
best in the closing "Libera me", and tenor Rhys Meirion, who excelled
in his famous "Ingemisco".
Burton had first conducted back in his Cambridge
days, but I doubt he would have dreamed of controlling the mass
forces of the City of London Choir, the Guildford Choral Society,
the Leicester Philharmonic Choir, the London Chorus and the London
Symphony Chorus. The Philharmonia responded with plenty of spirit,
and if some of the soft string playing could have been softer, the
effect would probably have been lost in such an acoustic.
The "Dies irae" was thrilling, with healthy thwacks
from the base drum and bold trumpetings from the grand tier. Burton
took a brief rest between the "Lacrimosa" and the "Offertorio",
then lifted the spirits with a lively "Sanctus", though he had to
ease the tempo a little after the opening. Watson and mezzo Susan
Parry blended nicely for the "Agnus dei", and the requiem's closing
prayer had the right humble, muted quality.
What was missing? A certain tension, perhaps. Those
subtle signs that the music is being interpreted from the inside,
the sort of mastery that can only come from a life-time's work.
But it would have been unfair to expect those qualities. Had we
not known who was on the rostrum, we might have suspected the debut
of a gifted newcomer. Even sceptics would have been surprised at
how good it was, and the audience voiced their approval.
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