It was an extraordinary experience to be at St. John the Divine Friday night for Verdi’s Requiem. Oberon’s Grove reviews it here; he had problems with the acoustics of the Cathedral, which inevitably were rather drafty, but that actually added to some of my absorption in the experience. I kind of wondered where amidst all those crevices and alcoves was the sound winding up? It was a unique sound/space continuum. The setting and it’s various recesses seemed like they were making a virtual intervention.
And as he writes, those sounds were altogether admirable!
New York’s Oratorio Society was joined by the Manhattan School of Music’s youth choir and orchestra. I couldn’t help thinking how privileged both kids and adults are to be involved in something like this.