I have never conducted the Dvořák Stabat Mater nor even heard it until tonight at the Berkshire Choral Festival's performance of the work. My first impression of the piece is that there is too much sameness throughout. Whether this is the fault of the composer or the interpretation of the conductor, Erin Freeman, I therefore cannot say. But until the final movement, everything was at the same moderato tempo. The last movement, 'Quando corpus morietur', suddenly bursts forth in an amazing, vibrant mood. But that is an hour and twenty-five minutes into the piece. Up to that point the text is morose, so I guess that's what you get. As my friend, the late Dorothy Fee would say, 'He was sunk on the text!' I would like to hear another interpretation of the work to compare.
Erin FreemanThe very large chorus did not sound as good as it did under Jane Glover two weeks ago, but, of course, it was composed of mostly different people, and Erin Freeman is not Jane Glover. Each week a new batch of singers arrives in Sheffield to prepare a different work under a different conductor. This week's sopranos had a hard time staying on the pitch in high registers and their entrances were what I call 'Split Infinitives' too often. Different ideas of what the pitch was supposed to be. The rest of the chorus, especially the men, sounded fine.
The soloists were Laura Strickling, soprano, Ann McMahon Quintero, mezzo-soprano, Theo Lebow, tenor, and Kevin Deas, bass-baritone. Mr. Deas had the best voice of the bunch and sang with good tone and musicianship. Ms. Quintero started a bit quietly on her first duet with Ms. Strickling, but came into her own in her solo 'Inflammatus et Accensus'. Ms. Strickling's rather light voice was at its best in the high range and Mr. Lebow sang with assurance with a thin sound.
Ms. Freeman seemed to know the piece very well and kept everything together.I would like to see a score to check the tempi for the first nine movements, all of which seemed pretty much the same. A more varied tempo approach to this whole section would liven it up considerably.
Not my favorite evening of choral music.
