Those of you with a YouTube addition will probably remember Timothy Shantz, the Choirmaster of the Calgary Philharmonic Choir from the widely-shared video of the choir singings tweeted tips from Calgarians on how to stay warm in the winter. But doing their do-ra-mi-fa-so-la-tweet-do’s for the camera was just a warmup for a very talented group of vocalists, led by a very talented – and dedicated – conductor.
Shantz and his singers are busy preparing for this weekend’s performance of Verdi’s Requiem, a piece that Shantz describes as a powerful combination of vocals and traditional instruments.
“Without all of the Hollywood-ims, think of an ‘end of times’ film,” says Shantz, although he hastens to add that it would be a “stretch to call it film music.” While the Requium is not an opera itself, it comes from a time where opera was the dominant cultural collection of entertainment.
“Opera really is the highest form of art – it has music, visual, characterizations, subtext – all combined,” says Shantz. The music that Verdi assembled here was” a mass for the dead. The largest movement in the Requium is the Dies Irae, which is the Day of Wrath, and that is what really jumps out at people. The banging of the bass drum, and you hear the huge and high and loud cries of the chorus; the extremes in range of the violins, and the crash – crash crash bang! It’s quite an ominuous and scary sound that he (Verdi) creates.”
Shantz goes on to describe the flow of the Requiem against this almost violent assault: “it contrasts, at very beginning, where you hear these whispers of voices with a solo cello baseline. It’s very low and mysterious,as though the dead souls are beginning to speak, but there is no life in that sound.”
“When you hear the incredible and full sound in the Dies Irae finally coming back later on, what is so mysterious and amazing about the music is how he uses voices in a very special way. The voices support the music later on, without any accompaniment from the orchestra; and there’s a moment in the score when you hear the voices only, with no instrumental accompaniment at all… and when you hear that, contrastsed to all that big stuff earlier on, it’s really striking; so it sounds like the heavens are opening and it’s quite an amazing piece for all the drama that is written into the music.”
Shantz thinks that everyone in attendance will be able to appreciate the Requiem. “I don’t think that you need to be any sort of speacialist to hear that. It’s the extremes of ranges, the extremes of the dynamics, the extremes of the colours in the orchestra and in the voices, and it really brings you in.
“I mean, there’s melodies and themes that come back, too, but it’s really the way that Verdi pieced all those things together that creates an incredible hold. There are simple chants that come into the singing, and when that’s contrasted with everything else…” Here, Shantz simply smiled, and you can feel the depth of his appreciation for this performance.
And it is a performance that has been long hours in the making. “It’s a major work for the chorus, lots of notes to learn.” They rehearse every week, and prepare multiple programs at once, but “it does take five or seven or nine rerehearsals, depending on how big the piece is.” The choir worked on the Requiem a little earlier in the year, but the bulk of the preparation has been in the last three weeks. “We hold rehearsals in the evening, and we have community members that come out and sing in the choir; a lot of trained musicians who are working in other fields, who get a chance to sing in the chorus. There are a lot of hours spent in rehearsal leading up to a major performance.”
The chorus recruitment “has been with the quality of the performances,” says Shantz. “People hear the chorus, and some of them are so thrilled and engaged that they want to come be part of it. Through the CPO, we have been able to garner interest in the community. New people who are moving to Calgary will look up who they can sing with, and they are looking for a good, qual ensemble.”
And, adds Shantz, the talent from the CPO is a huge draw. “To sing with the CPO, you work with the top conductors, musicians and soloists that are coming to town. It’s a great opportunity for singers to sing great music, but also be a part of that; always progressing and being challenged, and growing as musicians.”
Oh, and lest you think that Shantz is a music snob and you couldn’t possibly enjoy what he’s describing… “I just got the new Justin Timberlake album; I had never bought any of his music, but I heard his performance at the Grammys, and I was impressed. I like the fusion of jazz, crooing and hip hop. Sloan is also a big Canadian favourite.”
You don’t have to be an expert to enjoy Verdi’s Requiem at the CPO, but you do have to be vigilant. There are only two evening performances, so get your tickets right away. Earbender is giving away a pass for two people to attend Saturday’s performance – all you have to do is retweet this article on Twitter or share it on Facebook, and we will choose one lucky fan to see and hear this incredible event.
