In today’s classical music world, sound generally takes precedence over space. Frank Gehry’s Disney Concert Hall is spectacular to look at, but sharing the space with an orchestra is the real thrill. So while there was certainly a sense of occasion last weekend when the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra performed Mozart’s “Requiem” in the gilded rococo interior of St. Josaphat’s Basilica, it sometimes came at the expense of the music.
The musicians and conductor Edo de Waart were certainly aware of the challenge. From the first notes of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, which opened the concert, you could hear the way the notes lingered in the space. When soloist Todd Levy entered the mix, the liquid sonorities of his clarinet seemed to hang even longer amid the basilica’s arches. But he embraced the space rather than fought with it, having a particular good time in the first movement cadenza.
Carefully considered dynamics and pacing helped keep the Mozart Requiem from becoming a muddy mess. De Waart’s tempos were often brisk; he avoided romantic excess, but found the piece’s intrinsic power. And Lee Erickson’s Milwaukee Symphony Chorus handled Mozart’s challenges well. For all the bugaboos of a challenging space, there is an undeniable power to the sound of a well-tuned choral note lingering after the singing has stopped.
