Now if _only_ certain conductors and/or ensembles would _perform_ the music in this fashion!!! I am wholly at one with the "living, breathing organism" concept. The score can only take one so far into the music, which ultimately feeds on one's humanity. Case in point: I just saw Berlioz' _Requiem_ in Philly lead by Charles Dutoit, and while the performance was excellent, Maestro Dutoit held the brass and percussion just a little too much in check. Compared to Sir Colin Davis' outstanding Philips recording (to which no one holds a candle, IMHumO), the more forceful moments needed a bit more oomph, and Dutoit did the "Offertory" a little too quickly (though it still worked). One had the sense that the conductor wanted to keep things moving (even the pauses between movements were quick, when the audience could have used some coughing time ;^), so I kinda felt like everyone was "on the clock" (though by _no_ means "phoning in" their performances).

(And I could have used a break during the opening of the "Agnus Dei": the quietest freakin' moments in the whole piece, and tears were flowing from my face as I fought to suppress a coughing fit... The same thing happened to me during Dvořák's 9th-symphony "Largo" with Alsop and the BSO. I succeeded, but my eyes were bloodshot by the end of the movement.)

The best point: The Philadelphia Singers Chorale did yet _another_ outstanding job -- talk about excellent diction _and_ voluminous sound, bless them!!! They were just as good here as in the Mahler 2nd and 8th from the past two years. Honor should also be given to Paul Groves, who sang a heartfelt "Sanctus" from the highest reaches of the hall, to splendid effect, with the chorus matching him turn for turn. David Patrick Stearns wrote that his vibrato was a bit brittle, but I blame this on Groves' position being so close to the hall's ceiling -- he had to force the sound a little to make it descend upon us! And few things match the sight of a whole line of 16 timpani across the back row (and I had been to a Native-American pow-wow, with three excellent drum circles, the day before); they were every bit as bone-rattling as they needed to be during the "Tuba Miram!" Only the brass choirs dropped the ball during their "Dies Irae" flourishes, as they clearly fell out-of-sync with each other.

All in all, I found myself thinking _of_ the Davis recording immedaitely after the concert; its impression could not be eclipsed by the live performance. I had listened to it during a long car trip the day before, and I found myself listening to it again on the drive home. Just a little more kick and personality from Dutoit may have had me reflecting on the live experience instead... I _could_ now be saying, "This recording is excellent, but you should have been there in Philly with me that day!" Alas, the opposite is true.

Thanks for the fascinating report from the City of Musical Love. TIM