Review | Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and choirs’ A German Requiem expertly guided by Cornelius Meister
- Conductor Cornelius Meister’s careful phrasing and handling of dynamic changes produced a subtle, yet fully emotional interpretation of Johannes Brahms’ work
- Philharmonic choir and The Learners Chorus showed maturity, even if the male voices were drowned out in places by the orchestra, and both soloists excelled
Covid-19 restrictions may be a thing of the past, but the pandemic still cast a shadow over the Hong Kong Philharmonic’s April 21-22 performances of Brahms’ majestic A German Requiem.
The performances, the first by the Hong Kong Philharmonic in over a decade, required two choirs – the orchestra’s own and The Learners Chorus, founded in 1979 by former members of the Hong Kong University Students’ Union Choir.
The combined chorus consisted of approximately 90 members, considerably smaller than it would have been after around 20 sopranos and altos succumbed to Covid-19 or other illnesses and had to stay away. This explained why some of the singers appeared on stage wearing face masks, a throwback to the bad old days of the pandemic.
In addition, German choral conductor Ralf Otto had to pull out for health reasons and was replaced by the very capable Cornelius Meister.
Despite the challenges, the orchestra and chorus pulled off the requiem – completed in 1868, and widely acknowledged as one of the greatest choral works of the Romantic era – and then some. Under the direction of Apollo Wong, the two choirs showed their voices were a match for many of their international peers.
