Classical Concert Reviews Cinci

@kentuckysymphony just gave a fabulous performance of what many consider Ludwig van Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, in the architectural splendor of Cincinnati’s Cathedral-Basilica of St. Peter in Chains (@cathedral_basilica_cincinnati). Under music director James R. Cassidy, the orchestra was joined by an outstanding local professional chorus prepared by David Castillo Gocher and an equally outstanding quartet of local soloists: soprano Erin Keesy, mezzo-soprano Matilda Smolij, tenor Pedro Barbosa and bass Stephen Michael Hanna.
From the opening bars of the opening Kyrie, chorus, orchestra and soloists were in excellent form, even in the face of occasional minor discrepancies such as tuning and intonation within the orchestra.
While it pulls no punches with regards to the difficulty of its vocal writing, chorus and soloists executed it wonderfully, particularly the central Credo and final Agnus Dei movements.
However, its execution was hindered by the inherently big acoustical properties St. Peter in Chains possesses, which makes any concert or other music performance in that space that much more challenging. Every note across all forces reverberated across the room, but to the detriment of the audience, as balance felt perpetually off-kilter. Perhaps if the Missa Solemnis were performed in a space like Cincinnati Music Hall or Christ Church Cathedral, their acoustics would be much more beneficial to everyone who participated.
A fine performance, nonetheless, even if it wasn’t in the most acoustically welcoming of venues.