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Verdi,Requiem: Soloists, Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi. Orfeón Donostiarra. Conductor: Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Auditorio El Baluarte de Pamplona. 27.10.2009 (JMI) 

Cast.

Indra Thomas, soprano.
Nancy Fabiola Herrera, mezzo soprano.
Aquiles Machado, tenor.
Carlo Colombara, bass.

Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi tours its concerts through San Sebastián, Bilbao, Vitoria and Pamplona. As far as Pamplona is concerned, I should emphasize the huge following that the orchestra has here: the Baluarte Auditorium is virtually full at every concert they offer in the city. 

The orchestra’s October program offered Verdi’s Requiem, after three previous performances in San Sebastian and Vitoria. The team line-up was especially fine this time because the excellent Orfeón Donostiarra chorus came along wthe the orchestra, and there was a a well chosen cast of soloists. When things are planned this carefully, a positive outcome seems more than likely and concert was no exception to that rule. 

The Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi usually give their best performances on stage, while they tend to more questionable playing in the opera pit, something that happens with many other orchestras in Spain. Leading them we had their musical director, the young Colombian (32) Andrés Orozco-Estrada. The work he has done with the orchestra in the last two years is quite remarkable, as can be judged not only from the many good performances they have given but also from the high degree of rapport and mutual respect evident between conductor and musicians. His reading of Verdi’s Requiem was quite brilliant, particularly spectacular in the "Dies Irae", but perhaps a little short of intimacy and emotion in some other key pages of this great work. This is Verdi’s truly 29^th opera after all, since the score offers the singers the beautiful arias, duets and ensembles, worthy of the other Verdi repertoire. My overall impression of the Orchestra and its director is more than positive, however.  

Orfeón Donostiarra is the best choral group in Spain in my opinion, at least when performing in their natural repertoire. In concert they are at the top of the league but an opera chorus they don’t show quite the same level of excellence. Even so, I found them much improved from the last time I saw them in Beethoven’s Fidelio in San Sebastian. This was an outstanding performance, full of power and musicality.

The vocal Quartet was in general well suited for the Requiem’s demands, the sine qua non for any performance. There were no especially great names among them, but they were all very acceptable. 
The American soprano Indra Thomas was amost ideal: particularly convincing in the final Libera me and much better than she was as Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera at the Teatro Real last season (see review.) 

Mezzo soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera from the Canaries is not exactly a voice for Verdi, lacking the necessary strength at some points. At the end of the day though, hers is the longest personal part in the Requiem, in which she was always fluid and produced much pleasing singing.

The Venezuelan tenor Aquiles Machado replaced the previously announced Stuart Neill. He is now much thinner than formerly, and I found him in better vocal shape than what I was expecting. There are still some clear signs of vocal fatigue here and there, particularly in the upper zone, but his beautiful timbre is still there, as is his moving way of singing. The much anticipated Ingemisco was very convincing, although a little short at the top. 

Finally, Carlo Colombara was a sonorous bass, whose high notes were a good deal than I have heard on previous occasions. He was also always elegant and full of good taste. 

The Baluarte offered a full house although some of the the audience seemed unfamiliar with the work. There was however an excellent reception for soloists, conductor, orchestra and the Orfeón. The audience was clearly pleased with the the concert.

José M Irurzun