Reviews & Quotes
The evening began with a radiant performance of Brahms's ''German Requiem," ... The Chorale sang with poised tone, balance, and strong emotion, ... It sounds as if Brahms is laying the foundation for the universe in the big fugues, and Lannom and his musicians had the full measure of them. But the most remarkable thing about the performance ... was its refinement and intimacy...
— The Boston Globe, May, 2005
“The performance was notable both for skill and devotion … like every performance Lannom leads, it was marked by technical discipline and integrity of purpose.”
— The Boston Globe, 2001
"The sound from the large chorus was focused, true, unforced ... Anybody with an ear cocked for mishaps suffered a horrible frustration. Secure, glamorous, musicianly, ardent, what they did was let you train your attention of just what sort of Requiem it was that Giuseppi Verdi -- of all great composers the easiest to understand -- had fashioned."
— The Boston Globe, May, 2000
“What Allen Lannom and the Masterworks Chorale had in their keeping Sunday afternoon at Sanders Theatre was, no two ways about it, a find, a masterpiece, a revelation. … The effect was luxurious; as style and expression it was clean, true, and compelling. Lannom’s handling of his large choral forces was masterly.”
— The Boston Globe, 1998
“Sunday afternoon’s performance of the Bach Mass in B Minor was a characteristic display of the qualities Allen Lannom has developed in his almost 45 years with the Masterworks Chorale. … [The chorus] manifested a will and a sincerity to communicate that couldn’t be denied.”
— The Boston Globe, 1996
“Knowledgeable, committed, loving, and borne of a genuine sympathy for the expressive world this music inhabits. The best of it was that he seemed to draw a similar affection and commit-ment from the singers and instrumentalists he was working with, all of them.”
— The Boston Globe, 1996
“… a fervent, skillful, weighty but uplifting performance of Beethoven’s impossible Missa Solemnis . Lannom knows how everything fits … [the chorale gave him the] dramatic contrasts of dynamics and tempos — and the complete conviction — he was after.”
— The Phoenix, 1994
“The Masterworks Chorale’s performance on Sunday night shone out … It was honest, heartfelt, exciting, moving, and best of all, dignified. Conductor Allen Lannom didn’t impose anything; he let Verdi speak for himself.”
— The Boston Globe, 1993
“You might find Allen Lannom directing the Masterworks Chorale in Mexico or down the road at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge. … [The chorale] has performed most of the major choral repertoire and has presented concerts in all the leading halls in the area.”
— Lexington Minuteman, 1992
“Something should be said about the special relationship the Masterworks Chorale has built with its audience. … Great music performed for you by friends and members of your family and community takes on a special significance. The Masterworks Chorale does not take advantage of the built-in goodwill of its audience; instead, the Chorale regards this as a responsibility, and rewards it.”
— The Boston Globe, 1994