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reviewAlso in this section: Stabat Mater, Gioacchino Rossini An opera review by Bill Phillips The final performance of the IV Festival of Sacred Music CORPUS CHRISTI, sponsored by the Institute of National Culture under the leadership of Lupe Avila; presented Gioacchino Rossini's Stabat Mater at the Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen on May 26. Rossini's portrayal of the death of Christ was performed not far from the recent throwing of stones and tear gas canisters between students, construction workers and Panama police. Some theologians would find the juxtaposition of the sacred and the profane to be quite apt and all the more reason for so many people to attend. News of the unrest surrounding the changes in Panama's Social Security law is being carried in all area newspapers and and by the major news services. As far as I know, this will be the only mention that this fine production was also part of the week's story. The Stabat Mater was performed with the National Symphony under the baton of Jorge Ledezma-Bradley and a combined choir consisting of members of the Coro de Camara de Panama and Coro Musica Viva, and with soloists Moisés Castillo, Luz Acosta, Pedro Saldaña and Salvador Ríos. Stabat Mater portrays the suffering and death of Jesus. In the stirring Inflammatus, sung by Moisés Castillo and the choir, I could almost hear a gasp from the large audience as Moisés's astonishing voice reached the apex of the hall and and seemed to carry us out of the building. The audience was rewarded with a repeat of this section as an encore. Very few left until they had savored every note. The voice of Castillo, a male soprano, blended with the lush alto voice of Luz Acosta to the point where you realized you were hearing a new sound and experiencing a new color on the brush. Salvador Rios presented a very promising bass voice that gained richness and authority as he sang, and provided a firm foundation of support for the solo quartet passages throughout. Because of the extremely live resonance of the church, Rossini's dramatic use of varying orchestral colors at times overwhelmed the choral sound. Possibly Mr. Ledezma could have encouraged the brass and percussion sections to play with a little less vigor, especially in the final fugal section; but just as possibly the problems might not have been as troublesome in a hall with a more suitable acoustic for a full orchestra. At the beginning of the performance, a tiny black mouse ran back and forth under my seat and then headed for the premium seats in the front. If the Stabat Matar had been anything less than spectacular, I would have detected an immediate reaction. I saw no indication that the mouse was even noticed, and if it was it was ignored. There were nits to pick and things that did not go as planned and some problems with acoustical balance but, Hey, it was done, and it was done very well. Kudos, one and all.
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