William Dart review: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra: Verdi Requiem

Conductor Giordano Bellincampi putting on a brilliant show. Photo / Adrian Malloch

Verdi's Requiem won the hearts of some stern critics from its first performances.

In Vienna, the conservative Eduard Hanslick was agreeably taken with its "unchurchiness," while in London, George Bernard Shaw deemed it an "imperishable monument".

Significantly, the composer himself felt that the act of writing it had made him a serious man, no longer the public's clown, shouting with a great bass-drum.

These thoughts coursed through my mind as Giordano Bellincampi and Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra brought Verdi's masterpiece to dramatic life.

A capacity audience was complemented by a full stage, including a super-choir, taken from Voices New Zealand, New Zealand Opera Chorus and Graduate Choir NZ.

These singers were the beating heart of it all, from the visceral outbursts of "Dies Irae" to numerous excursions in bold, striding counterpoint.

There was a hushed magic in their opening incantation, and thrills when Bellincampi coaxed them into a massive crescendo as if eternal light were indeed bursting forth.

Conductor Giordano Bellincampi and soloists, from left, Erika Grimaldi, Olesya Petrova, Gustavo Porta and Petri Lindroos. Photo / Adrian Malloch

The Italian conductor was clearly enjoying his countryman's music, in all its lyricism and vigour, and the orchestra was unstinting in its energy, right down to a quartet of trumpets, fanfaring from the circle.

Yet it was not all fire and brimstone; there was glorious calm in the final movement, as soprano Erika Grimaldi spun her poignant plea over a sonorous choral swell.

European soloists added an air of celebration to the evening, although I have heard local tenors more secure than Gustavo Porta, whose extremely shaky start did not augur well.

While bass Petri Lindroos maintained a solid, musicianly presence, Olesya Petrova proved a revelation in a particularly demanding part. This Russian mezzo is riding high on the international circuit at the moment and displayed limitless vocal power without any tonal sacrifice, running from a clear top to an intriguingly textured lower end — a voice that, at one point, almost had me hearing premonitions of Mahler in the music around her.

What: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra: Verdi Requiem
Where: Auckland Town Hall
When: Thursday
Reviewer: William Dart