The Whitworth Hall is not an ideal venue for a classical music concert, the vast majority of seating being on the ground level and so anyone seated in the rear rows will have little or no view at all, and there is only a very small amount of seating available at a slightly higher level a little further back still. The acoustics are not brilliant, and the lighting can be described as dim at best. However, this is the Manchester University orchestra and chorus and so I presume that they feel they ought to perform on home ground! I have been supporting these annual concerts for several years now, and this year's was a little substandard "front of house" so to speak. The first and most problematic issue was the fact that there were no refreshments available before the concert or during the interval. This was a shame, as this was the 'hot topic' for discussion as audience members mingled, disgruntled, and in need of something to nibble or drink. And then, during the concert, we had the noise of a fan disturbing the quieter sections of the opening piece of music, and lights which either didn't work or worked when they should not have done, bathing the audience in light but leaving performers in the dark, or with insufficient cover.
But before you think I am being unduly negative, let me swiftly move on to the actual music itself, since that was truly what we were all there for and it was (mostly) superb. Four pieces were performed in total, all with an Italian theme, and we started with Richard Wagner's 'Siegfried Idyll'. Wagner is known these days for his (rather long-winded) operas, and so to hear something other than this is a very rare bird indeed. His 'Siegfried Idyll' is a love poem to his wife, and as a "thank you" for the safe delivery of their first born, a son, whom they called Siegfried. According to records, Cosima (Wagner's wife) woke up on her 33rd birthday (which also happened to be Christmas Day) to hear this being played outside her bedroom by a 15-piece orchestra. This was followed by Pergolesi's Magnificat. This is a piece of choral Baroque music which was bright, light, ebullient, and rousing, and used both the MUMS Symphony Orchestra and the University of Manchester Chorus. I am not sure I understood the rationale of performing the first two pieces this way round, as Wagner's Idyll was slow, deliberate, quiet, and did not really wake us up and put us in concert mood, whereas the Magnificat certainly did. And although there is no evidence that Pergolesi actually composed this work - he died of tuberculosis at the age of 26, and others were very keen to jump on his bandwagon - it certainly is in his style and the work has to be attributed to someone! The final piece before the interval was Respighi's 'The Fountains Of Rome', which is work for a much larger orchestra than the other two pieces required, and was written in 1917 and became the first of his so-called 'Roman Trilogy' (the other two being 'The Pines Of Rome' and 'Roman Holidays'). These three works are also possibly Respighi's best known and certainly most performed works these days. The piece is in four sections as it moves swiftly from 'The Fountains of the Valle Giulia at Dawn' through to a more strident 'Triton Fountain Mid Morning', before a triumphant 'Trevi Fountain at Midday', which leads onto a much quieter and more reflective section as the work finishes with The Fountains Of The Villa Medici at Sunset.
The second half of the concert was taken over completely by the larger and longer work, and this evening's showpiece - Puccini's Messa Di Gloria. Once again, a composer known more or less solely for his operatic compositions, this was a mass written by Puccini when he was just 14 years' old! And already one can hear the maturity, expression, and style with which his operas are filled. In 5 movements, the mass was intended as a school exercise, but the music, as played by the orchestra and sung by the University Chorus, is lush, dense, melodic, and pure genius.
The programme was a little long (by approx 15 minutes), but we didn't really mind, since the playing and singing throughout the whole concert was lovely - although my ears did detect an out-of-tune violin on more than one occasion, unfortunately. Lead conductor Tom Newell conducted most of the Puccini, but handed the baton over to nine of the universities student conductors at other points for them to gain the necessary experience. I thought this might have been quite messy, but in fact, it was quite smoothly and effectively done, and it was most interesting to see how the orchestra (and chorus) responded quite differently to their differing styles and approaches. The evening also showcased 5 student singers too, who came up from the ranks of the choir to perform their short solos in both the Pergolesi and the Puccini. The leading tenor solo for the Messa Di Gloria however was sung this evening by Bacup-born Sean Ruane.
It is always a joy for me to watch, encourage, and support those people either still in-training or on the very first rung of their professional ladder, and this evening was no exception. All things considered this was a hugely enjoyable concert, and was performed by students and amateurs whose understanding of the music and their technical expertise were being pushed to the max under Tom Newell's directing, bringing out the best of some lesser known but beautiful pieces of music.
REVIEWER - Alastair Zyggu
on - 22.3.25
