When Philharmonia Northwest and the Kirkland Choral Society planned a year ago to perform Verdi’s Requiem together this March, nobody foresaw the circumstances which would make this performance especially timely. But after the Parkland shootings and the subsequent and continuing outrage culminating, for now, in Saturday’s March for Our Lives, it was a natural outcome to dedicate this performance to the memory of the students who lost their lives there and to all victims of senseless gun violence across the country. The dedication statement in the program, announced as well from the Benaroya Hall stage, also honored the spirit and courage of the students taking a stand.
It seemed appropriate to go to hear the Requiem Saturday afternoon after taking part in Seattle’s march, and the performance gave the occasion the right solemnity. Kirkland Choral Society conductor Glenn R. Gregg directed the excellent orchestral and choral performance, in which he brought out the nuances, the drama, and the meaning with clear conducting and expressive dynamics. The orchestra, which has become one of the best amateur ensembles around under the fine hand of conductor Julia Tai, responded closely to Gregg’s direction. The Gregg-trained chorus did equally well.
The Requiem‘s four solo roles were taken by soprano Kimberly Giordano, mezzo-soprano Melissa Plagemann, tenor Tim Janecke and bass-baritone Clayton Brainerd. Brainerd, who has been a fixture on the local choral scene for years since he stopped traveling around the world to sing, brought his powerful deep voice to the work, as usual singing with authority and feeling. Tim Janecke, a fairly recent arrival in Seattle, has an Italian-style tenor perfect for Verdi, and he also gave a fine account of his solos.
Giordano, though, has an unfortunately ubiquitous vibrato which made it hard to hear her exact pitch, and this was particularly trying when she was singing in duet with Plagemann, as intervals were not at all true. Plagemann uses more vibrato than necessary when singing louder, but she also sang with only a little much of the rest of the time, so that notes were clear. It was the chorus and orchestra, however, which carried this performance and made it so satisfactory for the audience, which gave it appreciative applause.
