All-Mozart program weak without drama

Orchestra Verdi Europa, which has been critically acclaimed in Europe, is kicking off its first tour in America this month. One of its early stops was Friday at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono, where the 50-member orchestra and 50-member chorus performed an all-Mozart program: the jewel-like Symphony No. 40 in G Minor and the resounding Requiem in D Minor.

The Bulgaria-based orchestra, which was formed initially for operatic presentations, specializes in works from the classical and romantic traditions. There’s nothing cutting-edge here, no gimmicks, just straightforward music-making. Most impressive, however, was the chorus’s ability to sound much larger than its onstage numbers. The confident singers at times bounced the hall with outbursts of Mozart’s stormiest Requiem segments.

The soloists – soprano Elena Stoyanova, mezzo-soprano Petya Dimitrova, tenor Kamen Chanev and bass Diman Panchev – were an exception to the piercing volume, with their contributions falling feathery amid a gale of sound. I kept wanting them to open up more, both to the audience and to the music. The performance could not exactly be called restrained, but neither could it be called expansive and vibrant.

Technically, the orchestra, under the leadership of Maestro Mayden Todorov, was measured and careful in its readings. The trombone solo in the “Tuba mirum” of the Requiem was particularly memorable for its warmth and delicacy. Yet finally, the concert, at heart, lacked lyricism and drama, as well as the compelling alacrity that one associates with European orchestras as well as with Mozart, including the Requiem.