Expect a full course in sound.
That’s often the case with big, filling pieces for chorus and orchestra, and this weekend The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay and The Florida Orchestra join forces in a whopper: William Walton’s epic oratorio Belshazzar’s Feast.
“It’s a mammoth work, and one of the most colorful and theatrical oratorios I’ve ever done,’’ said Matthew Abernathy, artistic director of the chorus. “The characterization of the chorus is so clear, and the sheer force of the chorus and orchestra makes it a thrilling piece to experience live.’’
The Hough Family Foundation Masterworks program continues the long relationship between the chorus and orchestra, which over the years has given listeners such glories as Bach’s B Minor Mass; Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Mahler’s Second Symphony; and the Requiems of Verdi, Faure and Brahms.
But unlike these masterpieces, Belshazzar’s Feast is rarely performed, and early on struggled to find an audience. It wasn’t until a first recording 25 years after the work’s premiere in 1931 that Walton’s summa creation earned a coveted spot in the choral literature. His vivid portrayal of decadence – and doom – employs vivid rhythms, brass fanfares and jazzy syncopations.
“It’s incredibly dramatic, with this massive choir,’’ said Florida Orchestra Music Director Michael Francis, who conducts the two concerts Feb. 22 & 23 at the Mahaffey Theater. “It’s a huge, epic piece that will bring the house down.’’
The story itself is certainly epic. Drawn from the Book of Daniel and Psalm 137, the Biblical text describes the Jews in exile in Babylon; the feast in which the king, Belshazzar, commits sacrilege by drinking from their sacred vessels; his death and the collapse of his kingdom; and the freedom of the enslaved people.
Walton set the music into 10 distinct sections, played without pause, with a baritone soloist – guest artist Donnie Ray Albert − in the role of narrator, and the chorus representing the Jews. Soloist and chorus sing of their homeland, By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down, and express contempt for their captors and outrage against the king. An eerie percolation from the orchestra depicts the famed “writing on the wall,’’ and the death of Belshazzar. The oppressed celebrate their freedom in a joyous song of praise interspersed with a lament over the fall of Babylon. The triumph complete, Walton unleashes a full-throttled coda designed to bring an audience to its feet.
“I think that the theme of captivity and liberation is a timeless one that audiences can relate to,’’ said Brian Hathaway, a bass singer with the chorus. But the sustained drama – along with moments of ethereal softness – are a tough assignment for singers, especially with so many moving musical parts and shifting time signatures.
“There are constant changes in meter throughout the piece,’’ Hathaway added. “It’s critical that I know the music cold so I can keep my eyes on maestro Francis as he navigates the score with us as well as the orchestra.’’
The program also includes Tchaikovsky’s evergreen Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Russian virtuoso Olga Kern. Concerts are Feb. 22 at 8 pm and Feb. 23 at 2 pm (matinee), both at Mahaffey Theater in Petersburg.
Kurt Loft is a journalist and arts writer who has covered classical music in Florida for more than 40 years. A member of the Music Critics Association of North America, he lives in St. Petersburg.
