Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Robert Page rehearses with the Mendelssohn Choir in preparation for his last concert as music director and conductor. Click photo for larger image.

Mendelssohn Choir

In his last official act as music director and conductor of Pittsburgh's Mendelssohn Choir, Robert Page went out in grand style Sunday at the ensemble's concert at Carnegie Hall in Oakland.

Rachmaninoff's "The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom" served as a window to the past, when Page took over a muddled group of singers 26 years ago. The glowing score showcased the choir's largely revamped sound, particularly in the deep Russian echoes from the basses and an ethereal musical wash in the sopranos.

But all ears were focused on the world premiere of Nancy Galbraith's "Requiem," which Page had commissioned. The inspiration came from, as Galbraith has said, Page's reputation in interpreting Verdi's "Requiem."

Like Page, Galbraith embraced the musical landscape of Verdi's piece, notable for its brilliant sense of theater and heightened by entrancing melodies, complex rhythms and sumptuous contrast. Galbraith has hinted at such elements before but expanded upon them in this latest work.

Set for chorus and full orchestra and accented by an extended percussion section, it was a piece with universal appeal. After some orchestral nervousness in the opening movement, the performers immediately got to the heart of the matter in the "Dies Irae," punctuated by urgent staccato and fearsome arpeggios. Its seven sections included the powerful chords of the "Tuba Mirum" and a tender "Lacrimosa," indicating the scope and breadth of Galbraith's vision in a work that built, movement by movement, a contemporary spiritual connection.

-- Review by Jane Vranish,
Post-Gazette music, dance critic

World music concert

World music in three different manifestations took center stage Friday night during a concert at the Bellefield Hall Auditorium.

The concerts were part of "Music and Cultural Rights -- Trends and Prospects," a weekend-long conference at the University of Pittsburgh.

Performing before a small but extremely attentive audience, musicians Juan Pablo Hernandez Gomez, Jon Kamakawiwo Osorio and Joey Ayala played music that was both engaging and masterful.

The three-hour concert opened with Gomez, a Colombian songwriter and tiple player performing music from his native Tolima. He began with "Canta Un Pijao," a song about Tolima's indigenous people. After "Fugaz," a beautiful song about love, he launched into "La Tamborita," written in a style of music common to Tolima and Huila called Bambuco.

The second part of the show belonged to Osorio, a Hawaii-based guitarist and songwriter. His songs focused on the politics of Hawaii as well as the music and identity of the indigenous people. He also performed romantic and erotic songs and was particularly engaging when a dancer joined him.

Ayala of the Philippines, known for combining ethnic instruments with modern pop music, performed last, offering lyrical songs about social issues and the environment.

The concert and conference were funded by a Ford Foundation grant and sponsored by Pitt's Asian Studies Center and Music Department.

-- Review by Nate Guidry
Post-Gazette staff writer