Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Under the baton of maestro Nézet-Séguin, the mighty MET ORCHESTRA performs a glorious rendition of Brahms’ “German Requiem”

• By drediman
• June 20, 2023
• No Comments

Last week for one night only, the mighty Met Orchestra performed the first of its two season-capping concerts at Carnegie Hall. Vividly led by the Metropolitan Opera’s beloved music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the solemn evening of music commemorated the loss induced by the Covid pandemic. Overall, the concert potently showcased the Metropolitan Opera’s very best assets, which would have to be its indisputably world class orchestra and chorus.

The intermission-less program commenced with Cuban Canadian composer Luis Ernesto Peña Laguna’s Oraison. Composed in 2021, the large-scale, single-movement work for chorus and orchestra is somber with hints of sacred music, setting the stage perfectly for Brahm’s majesterial German Requiem. Indeed, despite being composed more than a century apart, the two pieces seemed cut from the same fabric, making the transition between them extraordinarily seamless.

Then came Brahms’s seven-movement work, which was magnificently performed by the Met Orchestra and Chorus, who brought out the full spectrum of emotion and color from the monumental piece. It’s a particular pleasure to have the focus put squarely on the orchestra and chorus, especially when they have Carnegie Hall’s pristine acoustics on their side. To boot, Soprano Lisette Oropesa (filling in for an indisposed Nadine Sierra) and baritone Quinn Kelsey sang the works soloist roles sumptuously. In summary, the concert was a glorious, at times overwhelming sonic experience — a fitting and moving memorial to those lost during the pandemic.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

THE MET ORCHESTRA
Classical Music
Carnegie Hall
1 hour, 20 minutes (without an intermission)
The Met Orchestra performs a different program on June 22
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