By Giordano Durante

Classical music fans were treated to sacred choral works by Rutter, Bach and Pergolesi yesterday evening at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in a concert hosted by the Gibraltar Classical Music Society. This was the second event organised by the newly-formed society after its inaugural concert in the Alameda Open Theatre at the start of the summer.

The intimate setting, with the instrumental players just in front of the first pew, allowed the audience to observe the musicians and singers closely as the Zyriab choir from Algeciras launched into John Rutter’s 1985 Requiem. 

Rutter’s music, using the model of Gabriel Fauré’s work, avoids thundering depictions of the day of judgement and the terror of death and instead establishes a mood of reflection and calm in the opening Requiem aeternam. This piece drew expressive singing from the Zyriab singers, with some sopranos even moving along to the melody. 

The second movement, which in most performances opens with a cello solo, was tackled by a violist instead. Conductor Michele Paccagnella, in this movement and throughout the evening, displayed a patient control of the small orchestral ensemble, always letting the music breathe but was passionate too when the score demanded it. 

The Pie Jesu followed, filling the cathedral with the otherworldly tones of soprano Luisa Boselli. Then came the jaunty Sanctus — who said requiems were all doom and gloom? 

Another highlight in this piece was the sixth movement The Lord is my shepherd which started with a lengthy oboe solo establishing a pastoral mood and connecting Rutter’s music to that long line of English composers who have turned to the countryside for inspiration. 

The return of the Requiem aeternam motif at the close of Rutter’s piece felt natural and inevitable, giving listeners the sense of an emotional and spiritual journey. The genius of Rutter’s composition is all there in the score and it is a testament to the skill of conductor, players and choir that they were able to bring this music alive and shape its delivery in a satisfying performance of one of the most appealing requiems of the last 40 years. 

Next, the Algeciras singers, boosted by more instrumentalists, merged forces with the local choir InCantus to perform Bach’s Magnificat. To see and hear the forces doubled in this way for the exuberant first movement was stunning after the relative tranquility of Rutter’s piece. 

Tenor Philip Borge McCarthy, with a firmly controlled intonation, sung the Et exultavit spiritus meus aria, followed by Samantha Bowling’s fine aria in the Quia respexit. Another high point was the energy expressed by the choirs in the Omnes generationes, a reminder that the Magnificat text, taken from Luke’s gospel, is one of exultation. 

Alto Anthony Roper De Almeida then tackled the next aria with confidence and control. All three soloists came together for the trio (Suscepit Israel), their vocal lines interweaving but remaining distinct. 

Once again, Paccagnella carefully shaped of the work and built up enough tension for the closing Gloria Patri to rise up into a realm of light and joy with choir and orchestra expressing palpable emotion. 

Clocking in at just over ten minutes was the final piece of the evening: Pergolesi’s Magnificat, a work that straddles the Baroque and Classical eras and whose authorship has been contested. Once again, soloists, choirs and players gave a convincing rendition of this work.

The new society is to be congratulated for hosting this event. Even the best music set-up at home, or top of the range headphones, won’t give you such insight into how the different constituents of a choir interact — this is music whose intricate construction that has to be seen and felt live. 

I look forward to future events that, like this one, explore contemporary and established repertoire and, it is hoped, expand the audience for classical music.

For further info about the society and upcoming concerts, visit: https://thegibraltarclassicalmusicsociety.com

Pics: Top: The Zyriab and InCantus choirs, conducted by Michele Paccagnella. Below: from left to right: Philip Borge McCarthy, Anthony Roper De Almeida, Samantha Bowling and Michele Paccagnella. Bottom: Luisa Boselli.