This concert by Dundee Choral Union had a French theme. The central item could hardly have been more popular - the Fauré Requiem. The evening ended with Poulenc's Gloria, quite well-known, if not so outrageously popular as the earlier work. Where the choir really diverged from the straight and narrow was in the opener. This was a Te Deum by Bizet - a student work dating from 1858, rather like his wonderful Symphony in C. However this short piece of church music was disregarded by his teachers, and only resurfaced when it was published in 1971.
The most notable feature of this performance of Fauré's most popular work is likely to be an early appearance by the star baritone Anthony Michaels-Moore, a few seasons before he began to appear at Covent Garden, La Scala and the Met. His warm, lyrical baritone sounded wonderful in the Caird Hall's huge space.
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