There was a certain frisson of excitement at The Northern Sinfonia's latest concert at The Sage Gateshead; the audience having just learned the details of a stunning 2012/13 classical season. Musical director Thomas Zehetmair, who revealed he will be conducting the symphonies Brahms and Schumann, went on to present an evening of seldom-performed works, opening with a spellbinding performance of the Australian composer Brett Dean's Carlo. The work was inspired by the music and notorious life of the Italian prince and composer Carlo Gesualdo, who murdered his wife and lover. A pre-recorded vocal collage started with a haunting chorale from Gesualdo's Moro Lasso, before the entry of the sinfonia's shimmering strings. From there on the audience was taken on a journey between time zones, with snatches of Gesualdo's choral music cross-fertilized and reworked by Dean. It was a brilliantly evocation of that fateful night in 1590. Mendelssohn's Symphony No 5 in D Reformation followed. In an illuminating pre-concert talk, Zehetmair described it as a “juvenile explosion of ideas”. He had those ideas well-harnessed, from the beautiful opening bars to an infectiously sprung finale. It was an account brimming with vitality. The chorus then joined the orchestra to provide a stirring rendition of Bruckner's Requiem in D minor. Written when Bruckner was 24 and long before he created his famous cathedrals in sound, the Requiem is more Haydnesque in character. The opening Requiem was carefully modulated, followed by a generously sung Dies Irae. A strong lineup of soloists comprised soprano Elizabeth Watts, mezzo-soprano Anna Stephany, tenor Benjamin Hulett and bass Stephan Loges. One of highlights was a warmly sung Hostias by the male component of the choir, with sensitively balanced playing from the trombones. Chorus master Alan Fearon joined Zehetmair to take well-deserved applause for the sterling work he continues to do with his singers.
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