Verdi's Requiem at the Berlin Philharmonie in Berlin
Review by Dalila Calisolo ©dibartolocritic
Berlin 14 January 2017
Verdi must thunder in the Requiem. And not only thunder an evoked transcendence, but above all the desperate search for such transcendence.
In Berlin, on 14 January 2017, in the splendid Berlin Philharmonie of the German capital in the grip of frost, Verdi did not thunder.
Moreover, Verdi's tone is not that of Beethoven or that of Mahler…it is precisely that of Verdi, which retains and emanates a lot of theatricality, without holding anything back. Just as Verdi's lyricism is not that of Grieg, but always that of Verdi: the Berliner woodwinds cannot play Verdi as if they were performing Peer Gynt…
The orchestra of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra it was splendid, as it always is, but the direction albeit very attentive and cared for Marek Janowski , who replaced an indisposed Chailly, did not prove capable of evoking that atmosphere of almost desperate mourning that Verdi's Requiem expresses.
In turn the Berlin Radio Choir, directed by Gijs Leenaars, although perfect in his performance, he was academic, inexpressive, even in forte and fortissimo and therefore did not contribute to making the performance thunder.
As also happens in operas, Verdi's colors are not only the written musical ones, but also those dictated by the text. Of course, the text is in Latin, but the words also count in the Requiem, for an opera composer of that caliber. If you take away the meaning of the words, you have taken away half the effectiveness of the entire Requiem. And if the Choir didn't follow the spirit of any of the words sung, what's worse is that the soloists didn't either.
The only one among the soloists who grasped and expressed this feeling, who sang the text and not just the colours, was the splendid Maria José Siri, fresh from his triumphs at La Scala with Madama Butterfly.
Siri has a dark timbre which in the Berlin Requiem she brought out in all its effectiveness and beauty, in the very elegant low notes, above all, but also in the middle zone, in which her voice is very at ease. The high notes, then, were real blades. The almost scenic drama of Verdi's opera had an absolute reception in her. The Berlin Requiem was grandiose thanks to Maria José Siri and her character expressed in her singing.
At his side is one who is all too constantly in pain Daniela Barcellona, but still correct and pleasant in the sung expression and in the beautiful medium timbre it possesses.
The tenor Roberto Aronica he has made use and abuse of the falsetto piano, and prefers to gloss over everything else. The bass Riccardo Zanellato it proved correct, but without particular expressive flights.
A very satisfied audience, but above all, as underlined above, a great performance by Siri, who defeated everyone present in the screening too, including the choir and orchestra. Moreover, her constantly rising career demonstrates that merit has the right to lead the way.
Dalila Calisolo ©dibartolocritic
PHOTOS © Berliner Philarmoniker, AA.VV.