Lyrica Performs a 'Masterpiece'

The Lyrica Chamber Orchestra brought Mozart to Chatham Township Sunday afternoon at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township.

The orchestra, aided by the choirs of both the Presbyterian Church and next door Corpus Christi Catholic Church, brought two of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s most famous pieces to life for the third and final show of the group’s 24th season.

The first half of “Mozart’s Masterpiece,” as the concert was dubbed, featured pianist David Kaplan leading the string portion of the orchestra in Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major.”

Kaplan, an accomplished musician whom Lyrica composer Adam Waite met while studying at UCLA and who has performed with the orchestra in the past, both led the orchestra and played piano – all from memory.

“It’s amazing that he did it all without any of the music in front of him,” Chatham Township resident Sharon Thomson, who was at the concert to support some of her friends who were in the chorus, said.

After the intermission, the entire orchestra, joined by the two choirs, performed Mozart’s “Requiem” – the last piece the composer wrote, a compilation of funeral Mass compositions that include his famous versions of “Dies irae” and the “Lacrimosa.”

Amid the superb instrumentals – especially the violins and the rest of the string section – and full, harmonic singing of both orchestras were solid solo performances from soprano Michelle Nicklas, alto Patricia Ruggles, bass Joseph McKee and tenor Robert Long (also Corpus Christi’s music director).

After the performance, Waite said this is the first all-Mozart show the orchestra has done during his tenure and said that much of the audience is probably familiar with much of the music that was played.

“It’s crazy how Mozart has gotten into pop culture,” Waite said, referencing the use of the “Lacrimosa” in a recent DIRECTV commercial.

Before the show began, Waite spoke to the nearly packed crowd, saying he was thrilled everybody could make it out to the concert.

“I always get a little nervous when the weather is too nice,” he said. “I assume everybody’s thinking, ‘Classical music concert or lay outside on a blanket?’ But I’m very happy you’re all here.”

Carl Woodward, Lyrica’s board president and one of the chorus singers, said the goal of these Lyrica performances is to present high-quality music for the Morris County area so people don’t have to travel all the way to New York City.

“And this is exactly the type of music you would hear in New York,” Woodward said.