High on any list of history’s must-hear choral works is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, K. 626, which he was famously trying to complete as he died in 1791 at the tragically early age of 35.
The last Denver performance in January of this transcendent take on the Mass for the dead featured acclaimed Canadian guest conductor Bernard Labadie and the Colorado Symphony and Chorus.
Two smaller Boulder groups took it on Friday evening in what was a ambitious undertaking for both. They offered a more intimate version in the ideally suited St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 1350 Washington St., which was nearly sold out.
Showcased were the Ars Nova Singers, augmented to 60 singers, and the Boulder Chamber Orchestra, a 30-member ensemble that shares many of its musicians with the larger Boulder Philharmonic.
Since the 1970s, several scholars have attempted to improve on the original completion of the score by Mozart student Franz Xaver Süssmayr. Like the January concerts, this program featured a commendably seamless and satisfying 1994 version by Harvard University musicologist Robert Levin.
The clear star of the evening was Ars Nova, one of the most respected choirs in the region. Obviously meticulously prepared for the occasion by artistic director Thomas Edward Morgan, it performed with its usual polish and precision.
But the ensemble’s performance was less than it could have been, because conductor Bahman Saless, music director of the chamber orchestra, did not do enough to push these singers and draw the most from them.
Much the same was true for the overall concert. Though the innate power of the Requiem came through, there was too little in the way of a real interpretation that conveyed the full emotional depth and power of this music.
Serving as vocal soloists were soprano Szilvia Schranz, mezzo-soprano Leah Creek, tenor Joel Burcham and bass Matthew Singer.
The 75-minute concert opened with a largely forgettable and unnecessary opening section that featured quick works by Antonio Vivaldi and Gabriel Faure.
The program will be repeated at 7:30 tonight at First United Methodist Church, 1421 Spruce St., Boulder.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
