By Nicholas Luciano

For the Salisbury Post

A review for Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem” (1874) could easily get bogged down with synonyms for monumental, so I’ve decided to get them out of the way from the start.

The work is colossal, transcendental, massive and awe-inspiring. The Salisbury Symphony’s April 9 performance of the work undoubtedly lived up to the billing.

The performance’s circumstances were no less impressive. During the initial movement, the “Introit” or “introduction,” there is a moment when the choir sings a hymn without orchestral accompaniment. I was reminded that even the members of the largest of the concert’s seven contributing choirs had never performed with over half of the group. The entire choir, primarily students and community singers, should be commended for deftly navigating a difficult piece with people they had just met.

Compounding the logistical challenges was the late addition of soprano soloist Jasmina Halimic, who came to the program with a mere 10 days’ notice after another soloist dropped out. Halimic’s performance was especially notable because of the importance of the soprano to the piece: The approximately 15-minute final movement, which occurs over an hour into the work, is a soprano showpiece. But Halimic used the demanding work to display both her impressive talents and vocal stamina.

The other soloists, mezzo-soprano Cristy Brown, tenor James Allbritten and bass Richard Ollarsaba, were equally impressive, if under less dramatic circumstances.

The highlight of the “Requiem” is undoubtedly the “Dies irae” movement. “Dies irae” is one of the most exhilarating and terrifying pieces in the classical repertoire, and it’s initial theme occurs three times throughout the course of “Requiem,” once each toward the beginning, middle and end.

The work certainly lives up to its billing when performed by nearly 300 musicians. The multiple iterations of the movement reflect one of the “Requiem’s” recurring themes: an interplay between the peace and wrath of death.

This interplay is especially evident in the first statement of the “Dies irae,” when the movement’s explosive opening follows the tranquil “Introit.” It would be expected that an ensemble of this size would do very well with the wrath, while struggling with the peace; however, the orchestra, choir and soloists were able to adeptly balance both.

In the end, kudos go out to Maestro David Hagy. Reviewers of this season’s previous concerts have noted Hagy’s ambitious programming, and this concert certainly extended that tradition. Sunday’s concert was the orchestra’s most ambitious since it performed Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” three years ago.

Additional kudos have to go to the individual choir directors who helped prepare their choirs to overcome a steep learning curve, transitioning groups of about 50 singing with a piano to a group of 200 members singing fugues with orchestra and people they had never met before. But in the end, it was Hagy that united these disparate elements to produce a colossal, transcendental, massive and awe-inspiring performance.