Previous Press - Press Quotes 2005-2006 Season

Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem

“The first performances last night sold out Jordan Hall and deserved the prolonged standing ovation it received. The chorus sang with imagination and dramatic involvement . . . Conductor David Hoose was full of striking and illuminating ideas . . . There was finesse as well as fire in this performance, integrity as well as flamboyance. He sought and found convincing balance between the extroverted and operatic dimension of the work and its inward, reflective side, which is so often neglected.”

Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe November 12, 2005

“Last week, David Hoose and the Cantata Singers showed how it's done. . . . Not just the soloists but each individual member of the chorus seemed to be expressing his or her most intimate fear of dying, terror of judgment, wish for eternal peace, lament for the death of a loved one, or desire for release from earthly suffering. . . . The orchestra also played with extraordinary warmth and tenderness . . . Yet nothing was held back either . . . Hoose gathered a more impressive and well-matched quartet of vocal soloists than the BSO did for the Verdi Requiem that opened its 2002 season. . . . Bass Robert Honeysucker was in resonant, velvet voice

. . . Tenor Yeghishe Manucharyan at his best sounds like Jussi Bjoerling, and here he sang with dignity, controlled passion . . . and heartfelt intensity. . . . mezzo-soprano Janna Baty . . . was heartbreaking . . . Barbara Quintiliani . . . has the ideal Verdi voice (golden) and temperament (impassioned). And it seems to be getting even more beautiful as it's expanding. . . . Hoose and the Cantata Singers have done practically every major choral work before. This was their first Verdi Requiem. It ought to become one of their staples.”

Lloyd Schwartz, The Boston Phoenix November 17, 2005

“Appreciation of this performances must begin with the chorus. Setting the tone with a nearly volcanic ‘Dies irae,' all evening long the ensemble sang with skill and conviction. . . . it's thrilling to hear chorus that can blend disparate voices and create something approaching a unique, almost personal vocal texture. . . . Hoose excels at marshalling large forces, and all evening long he offered a judicious blend of instruments and voice. The orchestra . . . played beautifully, particularly the winds and horns.”

Keith Powers, The Boston Herald November 13, 2005

2005 year-end classical picks:

Best Oratorio: St. John Passion, The Cantata Singers, John Harbison, Conductor

Richard Dyer, The Boson Globe

Some unforgettable classical events of 2005: “David Hoose extended his already wide range of interests in leading powerful performances of the Verdi Requiem, Bach's St. John Passion, and Schoenberg's moving Friede auf Erden with the Cantata Singers and Pierre Boulez's bewitching Sur Incises . . .”

Lloyd Schwartz, The Boston Phoenix

Stravinsky's Les noces and works of Poulenc and Boulez

“The impeccable chorus captured Poulenc's icy quietude and alluring harmonies. . . . Then came Stravinsky's seminal and still startling Les noces (“The Wedding”) . . . Soprano Susan Narucki, with her incisive yet glowing tone, nailed the rhythmically and tonally challenging role of the Bride; mezzo-soprano Gloria Raymond, tenor Rockland Osgood, bass Anton Belov, and the thrilling chorus embodied grieving parents, callow bridegroom, and gossipy neighbors. Hoose led them all with a breathtaking rhythmic precision that liberated rather than checked Stravinsky's rollicking, transgressive vitality.”

Lloyd Schwartz, The Boston Phoenix January 26, 2006

John Harbison's But Mary Stood and works of Bach and Schütz

“Hoose led with forward movement and scrupulous attention to detail; the Cantata Singers sang with radiance of timbre; and soprano Karyl Ryczek was utterly convincing in conveying Mary's puzzlement, concern, conviction, and joy. Hoose and the Cantata Singers contextualized Harbison's work with two motets by Bach and [Schütz] . . . sung with precise attention to musical, verbal, and emotional meaning.”

Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe March 20, 2006

“Soprano Karyl Ryczek was the expressive narrator and voice of Mary; the superb chorus (superb throughout the concert) was the voice of Jesus. Hoose led with decisive precision and heartfelt restraint.”

Lloyd Schwartz, The Boston Phoenix March 24, 2006

Handel's Belshazzar

“David Hoose and the Cantata Singers [performed Belshazzar ] 17 years ago, but this time the political implications were even more immediate and inescapable. . . . Tenor William Hite, in firm, ringing voice, was the spoiled, self-absorbed rich-boy ruler Belshazzar. Countertenor Jeffrey Gall . . . sounded every bit as heroic and brilliant as he did when he sang the role with Hoose in 1989 . . . Karyl Ryczek, a Cantata Singers stalwart who sounded better than ever as Mary Magdalene in John Harbison's But Mary Stood, continued impressively as Nitocris . . . Baritone David Kravitz . . . settled his increasingly large voice into his customary refinement and eloquence. . . . Mezzo-soprano Pamela Dellal . . . rose gloriously to the occasion. . . . Belshazzar was a significant cultural event in this city.”

Lloyd Schwartz, The Boston Phoenix May 19, 2006

“The Cantata Singers reveled in the contrasts [of the characters], which they delivered with discipline, splendid tine, and technical skill. Under David Hoose's informed and passionate direction, the orchestra and continuo . . . played with indefatigable energy, stylistic mastery, and vigorous musical characterization. Tenor William Hite was terrific in the title role . . . throwing off coloratura with boozy bravado and acting with conviction. As his mother . . . soprano Karyl Ryczek offered opulent tone and giddily racing triplets . . . Pamela Dellal offered rich sound, dignity, and . . . a high level of musical and verbal imagination. . . . Countertenor Jeffrey Gall was in a class by himself. . . . he still commands every dimension of the part, which he sings with intelligence, fire, virtuosity, nobility, and compassion.

Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe May 15, 2006

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