‘Peace’ celebrates life of Pope John Paul II
The message was as important as the musicmaking Monday evening at Symphony Center, as 200 musicians and singers joined forces to mark the first anniversary of the beatification of Pope John Paul II.
The concert, titled “Peace Through Music,” celebrated the power of music to transcend religious, ethnic and national boundaries — an idea the popular pontiff tirelessly promoted during his tenure.
In that spirit, the event was organized under the auspices of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, with 10 other diverse groups, including the American Jewish Committee, the Polish Museum of America and WFMT-FM.
On the podium was Gilbert Levine, who for 17 years, served as something of Jean Paul’s chosen conductor. He led a series of international papal concerts, beginning with one marking the 10th anniversary of the Catholic leader’s pontificate in 1988.
Levine oversaw an unusual collaboration Monday between two stalwart Chicago musical groups: the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra.
For the concert Monday, he assembled a mostly familiar program that he believed represented Jean Paul’s musical tastes and conveyed a spiritual and unifying nature.
The first half was devoted to three overtly religious works, and the second half featured what proved to be the evening’s highlight, Ludwig van Beethoven’s uplifting Symphony No. 3, “Eroica.”
As laudably noble as the goals for this concert were, it’s too bad the level of the performances was not a bit more inspired. The interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s famed “Magnificat,” for example, seemed lethargic.
The chorus and orchestra did not always come off as seamlessly integrated as they could have been. One wonders how much time the two groups, which don’t often appear on the same stage, had to rehearse together.
The four soloists were a mixed bag. While bassbaritone John Relyea and contralto Sara Mingardo were effective, tenor Antonio Poli sounded forced with unsteady top notes and soprano Amanda Majeski seemed uncomfortable in this vocal style.
The concert opened with the Holy Trinity Polish Choir joining the CSO Chorus in a simple, moving version of “Bogurodzica,” a well-known Polish hymn thought to date back a thousand years.
Rounding out the program was a stark, chromatic 1948 setting of Psalm 91, a virtually unknown work by composer Edward T. Cone, one of Levine’s teachers.
At the end, despite whatever musical shortcomings, the program’s forceful message shone through, and the audience rose in a sustained standing ovation.
Kyle Macmillan is a freelance writer and critic.