Music Reviews : Pasadena Symphony in Polished Season Finale

The Pasadena Symphony’s seasonal finale on Saturday, a performance of Verdi’s mighty Messa da Requiem, might have elicited comparably rapturous audience response well beyond the homely confines of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Conductor Jorge Mester and his forces offered a world-class presentation.

Perhaps it was, too, a more accurate one in instrumental terms than one usually encounters among the nominal “major” orchestras. Every member of the Pasadena Symphony seemed to be investing his or her life in every note, to produce music-making as polished as it was intense.

Verdi’s gloriously brassy rabble-rousing made its wonted effect. But there were countless, cherishable instances of subtleties that usually go by the boards in a conductor’s attempt to show us the score’s infinite vistas: The softly radiant violins in “Lux aeterna,” the exquisite balancing of mezzo soloist, clarinet and bassoon in the dark measures of “Quid sum miser” are examples among many that remain in the ear.

All praise, too, to John Alexander’s Pacific Chorale. Its amplitude was expected. But one rarely encounters a large choral mass capable as well of such solid soft singing and clarity of word--or one that can boast such well-tuned sopranos.

Among the vocal soloists, Ealynn Voss and Lorna-Mae Myers turned in work of highest distinction.

Voss’ vast soprano, easily topping Verdi’s choral-orchestral outbursts, projected as well the most refined dynamic shadings, with strongly supported pianos and pianissimos over long spans. She is not only an immensely gifted singer, but a superb musician as well.

After a husky start, Myers’ darkly voluptuous, well-controlled mezzo proved gratifyingly expressive, and well contrasted to Voss’ bright edge in “Recordare.”

Eduardo Villa employed his sturdy tenor effectively, if with little dynamic variety, in “Ingemisco.” His “Hostias,” however, while lacking the trill, projected the requisite sweet headiness. But the young, raw-sounding basso, Valentin Peytchnikov, a last-minute replacement, seemed out of his depth.