Royal Albert Hall,London[br]Choristers and soloists brought freshness and precision to the Beethoven mass in conductor Gianandrea Noseda’s keenly expressive interpretation More than perhaps any other mass setting, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis seems to pose questions of its conductor and of its audience. What is played at the beginning will affect how we hear the closing minutes: will they be a consolation or a cry for benefit?Here, and the playing Gianandrea Noseda drew forth from the BBC Philharmonic at the opening was insistent but smooth,in a way that made the choir’s calls for mercy tip at a tranquil desperation. The singers of the Hallé Choir and the Manchester Chamber Choir were on fresh-sounding, precise form from the very start. Between them and the orchestra stood a quartet of vocal soloists featuring the gleaming soprano of Camilla Nylund and the burly tenor of Stuart Skelton. The organ supplied a floor-shaking bass line.
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Source: theguardian.com