It’s typical of the famously agnostic Verdi that it took the death of an Italian politician to inspire a sacred commemorative work. The Requiem shocked contemporaries with its overtly operatic outbursts, but it can be a visceral concert experience, especially when singers and conductor are blessed with proper theatrical bones.
That was certainly the case with Ryan Bancroft, dynamic principal conductor of BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Eschewing a baton, his fluid hands and eloquent body-language urged the combined forces of the BBC National Chorus of Wales and the Crouch End Festival Chorus to heaven-assailing heights. Crunchy diction, virile fortissimos, and a palpable engagement with the text landed blow upon choral blow. With singers divided either side of the Albert Hall organ, the spatial sonics were thrilling.
