On Friday 4th April at the Robert Sammut Hall in Floriana the Schola Cantorum Jubilate Choir gave the first of three performances of Requiem, Opus 9 by French organist and composer Maurice Duruflé (1902 – 1986). The choir was accompanied by Italian organist Simone Vebber and by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Christopher Muscat.
Schola Cantorum Jubilate certainly is not afraid of facing musical challenges. However, Duruflé’s celebrated Requiem is probably one of the toughest projects they have taken on to date. First performed in 1947 in a version for choir, full orchestra and organ, this Requiem was a result of a long gestation period, having first been conceived as a series of organ improvisations on Gregorian themes. A commission by the French music publisher Durand gave Duruflé the opportunity to adapt his initial sketches into a full-blown choral and orchestral work. What gives this Requiem its unique sound is its inventive use of themes from the Gregorian Mass for the Dead. The familiar contours of the chant are retained but are expertly woven into an instrumental fabric which owes much to the colourful orchestration and fragrant harmonies of the impressionist school. The result is a work which is at once modern and timeless, ethereal and sensuous, distinctly French and universal in its appeal.
Duruflé was a perfectionist through and through and over the years he kept returning to this piece, preparing various performing editions, including one for choir and organ and one for liturgical use. The version performed on the night dates from 1961 and is scored for SATB choir with mezzo soprano and baritone soloists, accompanied by organ, string orchestra, three trumpets and timpani.
The concert started with Antonio Vivaldi’s Sinfonia al Santo Sepolcro for strings and organ continuo. At first glance, Vivaldi and Duruflé might seem strange bedfellows, but this heartfelt rendition of the Sinfonia was a perfect opener, setting the atmosphere for the spiritually charged works which followed.
Schola Cantorum Jubilate then took the stage to sing Tantum Ergo and Ubi Caritas – two of Duruflé’s Quatre Motets sur des themes grégoriens, Op. 10 for unaccompanied choir. As conductor Christopher Muscat explained in an informative introduction to the works, these motets are a good example of Duruflé style steeped in the chant tradition.
From the very first notes it was clear that the dry acoustic of the hall would not help the choir, since any flaws would be mercilessly exposed. The choir however was evidently well prepared and, under Muscat’s direction, gave an expressive performance characterized by a great attention to detail.
These were also the hallmarks of the choir’s rendition of the Requiem. Indeed, there was much to enjoy in this performance, with particular highlights being the polyphonic passages in the Kyrie, and the particularly moving In Paradisum which provides a hushed finale to the work – musical balm to the soul. There were also fine solos from bass Albert Buttigieg and mezzo Marvic Monreal.
In the hands of Christopher Muscat the blend of choir and instruments was finely judged throughout, including in the climaxes in the Libera Me and the Sanctus movements which were appropriately rousing without being overpowering. Muscat kept a confident control over the tricky time-signatures, without stifling the sense of momentum and fluidity which Duruflé ‘s score requires. Simone Vebber should also be singled out – he ably tackled the difficult organ part and coaxed some idiomatically French-sounding registrations from the Robert Sammut Hall organ.
The concert was very well received and will surely stand out as a milestone in the choir’s career. A word of appreciation should go not only to all performers involved, but also to Marouska Attard and Mark Gauci who trained the choir in this demanding work.
The ‘Reqiuem’ was performed three times: on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th April it was performed at the Robert Sammut Hall in Floriana and on Sunday 6th April it was performed at the Basilica of Maria Bambina in Xagħra, Gozo.
