On June 20, 2025, at San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus made a powerful return, performing Verdi’s celebrated Messa da Requiem in a performance laden with emotion and significance. This concert, under the baton of James Gaffigan, reprised what was intended to be Music Director Esa‑Pekka Salonen’s farewell performance from fall 2024—postponed due to a strike by the professional chorus. The evening also featured three choral works by Gordon Getty, newly commissioned through a $4 million anonymous gift.
The evening opened with Getty’s compositions: the Intermezzo from his opera Goodbye, Mr. Chips, the world premiere of Saint Christopher, and the U.S. premiere of The Old Man in the Snow. These offered a lyrical and reflective counterpart to Verdi’s dramatic intensity. Critics noted that under Gaffigan, these pieces were rendered with keen attention to nuance and clarity. Symphony Chorus Director Jenny Wong prepared the ensemble impeccably, enabling a seamless transition into the more substantial Verdi. As one review observed: “The singers communicated its spirit with unfussy directness,” an achievement reflecting both Wong’s leadership and the chorus’s resilience.
After intermission, Verdi’s Requiem took center stage. The chorus delivered a commanding interpretation of the work’s monumental sections. From the hushed solemnity of Requiem aeternam to the thunderous Dies irae, and culminating in the luminous entrance of the women’s voices in the Lacrimosa, the performance captured the full emotional arc of the Roman Catholic funeral mass. The Libera me closed with gripping power, leaving audiences visibly moved. Critics hailed the chorus as having “pulled emotion from every chord change,” affirming their artistry and depth.
However, Gaffigan’s interpretation was met with mixed reviews. While his energetic tempi brought a visceral drive, some critics felt this came at the expense of the work’s quiet, poetic depths. The relentless pacing risked flattening Verdi’s dynamic contrasts and emotional subtleties. One reviewer criticized the approach as “missing a sense of transcendence and the overarching struggle of mourning and fear giving way to tranquility and acceptance”.
Orchestral playing was generally praised for its cohesion and vigor, though it mirrored the conductor’s emphasis on intensity. Soloists—including soprano Rachel Willis‑Sørensen, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, tenor Mario Chang, and bass Morris Robinson—were commendable overall. Willis‑Sørensen’s lyrical pairings with the strings earned special praise, though Chang’s Ingemisco lacked the necessary warmth and resonance.
This performance carried deeper significance as a symbol of recovery after the fall 2024 chorus strike. The strike halted the planned opening night featuring Salonen leading Verdi’s Requiem—deemed “the musical crown jewel” by the San Francisco Classical Voice—after chorus members had walked out in mid-September. The June 20 concert, rescheduled as a postscript to Salonen’s departure, underscored the chorus’s essential role and resilience.