Philharmonia blazes through little-known Mendelssohn
In a performance of remarkable power and tonal beauty, McGegan and his crew of musicians — including the excellent Philharmonia Chorale and a lineup of first-rate vocal soloists — unveiled an expansive and eloquent masterpiece, one that belongs by rights on the repertoire list of every orchestra in the country.
The three orchestral movements — a boldly expository opening that establishes key themes that will recur throughout the piece, followed by a suave, dancelike scherzo and an eloquent slow movement — hover tantalizingly midway between fully formed statements and introductory material.
The vocal and choral movements that follow complete the balance of weight in a way that is elegantly Mozartean — a pointed and deliberate contrast to the disruptive force of Beethoven’s comparably placed “Ode to Joy.”
The orchestral movements sounded alternately robust, delicate and finely detailed; the singing of Bruce Lamott’s Philharmonia Chorale, augmented with members of the UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus and the Stanford Chamber Chorale, was never less than stirring.
[...] the finest contributions came from soprano Dominique Labelle and tenor Thomas Cooley, who each brought extraordinary tonal splendor and dramatic intensity to their assignments.
First Congregational Church, 2345 Durant St., Berkeley.