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From The Fringe
From The Fringe: Grande Messe Des Mortes
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 27 August 2015
Each day this month we are looking at some of the shows, performers and events being championed at the Edinburgh Festival this year by our sister magazine ThreeWeeks.
And today something a little bit classical, actually from the Edinburgh International Festival, with a highly rated performance of ‘Grande Messe Des Mortes’ last week. Says our reviewer: “Hector Berlioz’s requiem had drama, spectacle and the tremendous Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. The Edinburgh Festival Chorus celebrated their 50th anniversary by contributing a blend of poignantly angelic and impressively devilish voices; tenor Laurence Brownlee was masterful”.
She goes on: “Berlioz experimented by expanding orchestral and choral sound – even going so far as making extraordinary new instruments to further his musical ideals. Tonight was sonorous and bold in tone and execution, expressing the wild spirit of Berlioz by scattering most of the brass section around the auditorium. The audience felt present at the last judgement itself, as the very air around them shook. Did we go to heaven or hell during this performance? Heaven, definitely!”
