Farewell to SCSO's 2007-2008 season

It was truly an elated experience to be able to sing Mozart's Requiem with 200+ choral and orchestral members and the exceptional soloists (David Robinson, Sandra Rubalcava, Oksana Sitnitska and Elias Mokole) last Saturday evening at the Sacramento Community Center Theatre.

Here's an except from Edward Ortiz at Sacramento Bee:

"And as performed at the Community Center Theater on Saturday evening by the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra, the great merit of clarity was the paradigm.

This was an evening where the SCSO spanned a total of 204 years of choral music by following the "Requiem" with Morten Lauridsen's 1997 "Lux Aeterna." It was a mostly inspired performance of both works, which presages a strong performance for the SCSO's debut at Los Angeles' Disney Concert Hall with the same program in June.

Mozart's brilliance is self-evident in the 14-movement "Requiem," which Mozart did not complete by the time of his death in 1791. It's a work that shines best when conductor, orchestra and chorus are conduits instead of invasive interpreters. And this approach proved the great charm to this performance. It was a no-nonsense and vividly expressive take on the work. Here singers seized on all the delicately defined moments in the "Requiem," especially the poignant "Lacrymosa."

Check out the full review by Edward Ortiz at Sacramento Bee!