As the music director of the American West Symphony and Chorus, Joel Rosenberg has his work cut out for him. Twice each season Rosenberg presents programs that can make use of his entire ensemble, both instrumentalists and singers.
But that's not quite as easy as it may sound.Since the American West Symphony and Chorus is a volunteer organization, Rosenberg tries to program works that are written for a mixed chorus and for a large orchestra. In the past, this concern on Rosenberg's part has resulted in some wonderful performances of Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" and Verdi's "Nabucco."
And this year won't be an exception, either, since Rosenberg will conduct his orchestra and chorus in three performances of Verdi's radiant Requiem.
"I picked (the Requiem) because it's a work that lends itself well for our organization," Rosenberg told the Deseret News. "It utilizes all our players.
"It's important that we can use all of our musicians. These people are there, they're volunteering to be there, and I want to give them the chance to play.
"I want to give them music from a broad spectrum, but it's difficult to find pieces that utilize our entire forces."
There are a lot of works that Rosenberg has to bypass because of his commitment to giving everyone the opportunity of performing. "We can't do the Haydn Masses," Rosenberg explains, "because they're written without trombones and percussion. And an opera like Rossini's 'Barber of Seville,' for example, only has a men's chorus.
"Last year's 'Nabucco' was a good piece for us to do. The chorus had a lot to sing, and the orchestra was busy, too."
And Rosenberg is also enthusiastic about the upcoming performances of the Verdi Requiem. "The Requiem can be called the greatest opera Verdi wrote," Rosenberg says. "And because he approached the text of the requiem in the same way he approached his opera texts, the work is as intense and dramatic as anything he wrote. And when you think about the other requiems by Faure and Brahms, and also Britten's 'War Requiem,' you see that Verdi's stands at the top. It's one of the richest outputs in that genre."
The Requiem has an interesting origin, according to Rosenberg. Verdi originally wanted to write a requiem on the death of Rossini, whom he respected very much as an opera composer. That idea eventually evolved into a project in which 12 composers were asked to write one movement for the requiem. But the plan never came to anything. However, Verdi had already composed his movement, the "Libera mei," which he later incorporated into his own Requiem. And this new work was to become a musical tribute to the Italian poet Manzoni.
"Verdi approached his publisher, Ricordi, with his wish to write a requiem honoring Manzoni, and which was to be performed for the first time one year after Manzoni's death," Rosenberg notes. "It was a big success when it was performed, although it had some critics, most notably (pianist and conductor) Hans von Bulow.
"But when Brahms heard it, he said that only a genius could have written it."
Verdi's Requiem will be performed Friday and Saturday, May 5-6, at 8 p.m. in the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Sandy (on the corner of 8600 South and 700 East).
There will be an additional performance on Friday, May 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square.
Soloists for the performances are soprano Marie-Adele McArthur, mezzo-soprano Mary Ann Dresher, tenors Greg Oaks (for the May 5 and 19 performances) and Clinton Miller (for the May 6 performance), and bass Travis Lewis.
Tickets for the Sandy concerts are available at the door and cost $6 for general admission, $4 for senior citizens and students and $15 for a family pass.
The performance on Temple Square is free of charge.
The American West Chorus is looking specifically for tenors and basses to join the ensemble, but it also needs sopranos and altos. If you are interested in singing with the chorus or want more information, please call (801) 942-1812.
You can reach Edward Reichel by e-mail at ereichel@desnews.com