Review: Australian Brandenburg Orchestra's MOZART REQUIEM: 100 VOICES Brings Baroque Music To A New Generation

Friday 29th April 2016, 7pm, City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney

The rich old world sound of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Brandenburg Choir is given a new youthful dimension with the Brandenburg Young Voices Choir for MOZART REQUIEM: 100 VOICES concert. Artistic Director and Conductor Paul Dyer has bought together a beautiful program that combines the young and mature voices before Mozart's Requiem Mass in D minor fills the auditorium.

Under the baton of Guest Conductor Anna Sandström, the Brandenburg Young Voices comprising 79 students from 16 Public and Private schools in Sydney, provide a lightness and texture to the works selected. Sandström leads the girls of the choir through the aisles of City Recital Hall as they sing an acapella Festive Alleluia by Lyn Williams before she brings in the boys with Gaudete from Piae Cantiones. In addition to experiencing the lighter sound of young voices, it is also lovely to get to seen the range of students that make up the choir with Public School uniforms alongside the more formal Private school blazers showing that the wonderful opportunity has been opened up to more than just the privileged schools.

The first half of the program is a blend songs from the Brandenburg Young Voices, Brandenburg Choir and soloists Amy Moore, Max Riebl, Paul Sutton and Alexander Knight. The quartet of soloists presents a playful and expressive Alma Redemptoris Mater by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina from the balcony high above the stage. When the Brandenburg Young Voices return, they are also joined by the Principals of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra to round out their sound for two of John Rutter's carols and hymns before their sound is boosted by the Brandenburg Choir for a George Friedric Handel's rousing Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah, all under the warm encouragement of conductor Paul Dyer.

The second half of the program is dedicated to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Süssmayr's Requiem Mass in D minor, presented by the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Brandenburg Choir, conducted by Paul Dyer who clearly enjoys his job and cares for his orchestra and choir. Dyer draws out the beautiful texture of the work from the lilting lightness and deep darkness of the Introit and Kyrie before the passionate deep frenzy of the Dies irae. Even in darker more passionate movements, Dyer has a beautiful gentle energy and warmth that draws out the best from the orchestra and choir where lesser conductors would be severe, demanding and frenetic which makes him a pleasure to watch as the music washes over the audience. The work also features the four soloists whose voices range from the deep warmth of Knight's Bass, purity of Sutton's tenor, ethereal falsetto of Riebl's Alto and lightness of Moore's Soprano. In addition to amazing voices, these four also infuse personality and individuality to their parts, providing a contrast to the sweeping waves of sound of the choir.

MOZART REQUIEM: 100 VOICES is a wonderful joining of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Brandenburg Choir and Brandenburg Young Voices. It is good to see young singers being given the encouragement that this partnership offers, hopefully inspiring the children to continue their interest in music, and in particular classical music. Paul Dyer has bought together a wonderful program that will appeal to seasoned fans as well as those less familiar with Baroque and classical music.

It is noted that when the concert tours to Melbourne, the Brandenburg Young Voices will be under the direction of Guest Conductor Philip Carmody and will comprise of children from Melbourne.

Australian Brandenburg Orchestra presents MOZART REQUIEM: 100 VOICES

Sydney:
City Recital Hall
Friday 29 April, Saturday 30 April, Wednesday 4 May, Friday 6 May, Wednesday 11 May, All 7pm
Matinee Saturday 30 April, 2pm

Melbourne
Melbourne Recital Centre
Saturday 7 May, 7pm

Sunday 8 May, 5pm

Photos Provided by Publicist.