MUSIC REVIEW : Shaw Leads Symphony, Chorus to a High Note

Any equation that includes Robert Shaw, chorus, and orchestra as components is likely to balance with musical felicity. The maestro, recently named the San Diego Symphony’s resident guest conductor, brought his special touch to Symphony Hall Friday night, leading the symphony and the San Diego Master Chorale in “Gloria” settings by Vivaldi, Beethoven and Poulenc.

The program began equivocally, however, with an understated, overly deliberate reading of Vivaldi’s familiar “Gloria.” Although it was easy to admire the Master Chorale’s purity of blend, balance, and precise articulation, their entrances were unduly timid and they appeared to labor mightily for modest musical effect. Shaw had aptly scaled down both orchestra and chorus for this Baroque gem, but his interpretive approach was not a wise one for the concert hall. In a Baroque cathedral, Shaw’s subtle shadings would have been surrounded by a halo of bright, flattering acoustics. In Symphony Hall, the cantata merely sounded muted.

Fortunately, the mood shifted radically for Poulenc’s “Gloria.” Shaw has frequently acknowledged his admiration for the French composer, and he successfully turned his appreciation into a memorable performance of Poulenc’s final choral composition. Shaw pressed lively but well-controlled tempos, relished the work’s dramatic surprises, and tastefully underscored the score’s playful instrumentation. It would be difficult to imagine a more persuasive reading of the work.

While both orchestra and chorus responded with sympathetic brio, Virginia Sublett took the honors as soprano soloist. Whether floating a shimmering line above the chorus or following the composer’s angular dives into a soprano’s treacherous lower range, Sublett retained her luminous timbre and graceful line. Best of all, she always communicated the text with conviction and complete confidence. While the lavish ornamentation and Baroque fioritura of her solos in the Vivaldi “Gloria” fit her voice more idiomatically, she made the Poulenc, which she was not originally scheduled to sing, her own.

Excerpting the “Gloria” movement from Beethoven’s grandiose “Missa Solemnis” may not be orthodox programming, but it did end Friday’s choral program with gusto. Shaw let out all the stops in a vibrant but tasteful reading. Notable were the chorus’s swift, spirited fugues--Master Chorale director Frank Almond had prepared his ensemble diligently--and the orchestra’s robust accompaniment. The quartet of vocal soloists, soprano Lorna Haywood, mezzo Michele Henderson, tenor Jon Hymphrey and bass Eric Edlund, sang with balance, fervor and an appropriately bright timbre.