Mozart Solemn Vespers, Coronation Mass and Exsultate, Jubilate

25 June 2022

Albert Einstein thought Mozart’s music was ‘a reflection of the inner beauty of the universe’. The three works by Mozart performed by Salisbury Musical Society and Salisbury Symphony Orchestra at their summer concert certainly demonstrated that.
In the Solemn Vespers the choir repeatedly shone in the joyful praise to God, and in the Coronation Mass did full justice to the greater range of the work, from dramatic assertions to quieter passages. Conductor John Challenger achieved a good balance between these dynamics, and between singers and orchestra.
While the four soloists contributed positively, soprano Keri Fuge was outstanding. She filled the Cathedral with beautiful singing, powerful and clear and yet, as in the closing movement of the Mass, with moving gentleness. In the third work, the motet Exsultate, Jubilate, she was the solo voice, gloriously rejoicing, legato and trills all superbly in place.
The concert was a tribute to SMS and SSO in their continuing dedication despite the continuing problems of Covid-19. The large audience was amply rewarded and very appreciative.

John Cox
Reviewer