CHORALES' VOICES UNITE FOR VERDI'S `REQUIEM'.

Byline: Patricia Hesselbach Special to the Daily News

One hundred-sixty voices of the combined Los Robles and Ventura County master chorales will fill every corner of the Probst Auditorium with the strains of one of the most dynamic oratorio works every written.

Under the baton of San Francisco Symphony Chorus Director Vance George, the singers and orchestra will present the intensely dramatic Verdi ``Requiem'' on Oct. 25.

``When you get to the first rehearsal, you see what it's all about,'' said Burns Taft, director of the Ventura County Master Chorale. The Verdi ``Requiem'' opened up a unique opportunity for the two outstanding county chorales to pool their voices.

The work itself was born in a collaborative spirit. A collection of notable musicians were to have combined their talents to create the mass oratorio - a tribute to composer Gioacchino Rossini. When all of the others gave up the project, Giuseppe Verdi followed through. Alone, he composed the enormous masterpiece.

``It's my favorite oratorio,'' said mezzo-soprano Adrien Raynier. She noted that the work includes more exposed solos for mezzo than do other works in the oratorio repertoire.

Tracy Saliefendic, soprano soloist for the performance, was bubbling with enthusiasm on the heels of her first solo ensemble rehearsal with the guest conductor.

``I like just being able to sing and hear the other singers,'' said Saliefendic.

A richly textured composition, the work challenges choristers to respond to the creative expression of the conductor.

``I start from scratch and build the blend in immediately,'' said George. The guest conductor admitted to a somewhat idiosyncratic rehearsal methodology. ``You have to be the piece. It has to be inside you.''

Recipient of two Grammy Awards and nominee for a third for his San Francisco Symphony Chorus recordings, George promises to guide the combined chorales to the pinnacle of performance excellence.

The seasoned chorus master has prepared choirs for Kurt Masur, Michael Tilson Thomas, Herbert Blomstedt, Roger Norrington, John Nelson, Margaret Hillis, Robert Page, Otto Werner Mueller and Robert Shaw. George regularly travels throughout the United States and abroad, conducting and giving master classes. He is enjoying a 15th season as director of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus.

George expects a great deal from the singers he works with. Pushing far beyond the bare basics - teaching the words and notes and concentrating on tone, rhythm, diction and intonation - George teaches singers how to tap into subtleties and musical nuances. With this conductor, the basics are only a beginning.

Employing an infinite array of studied techniques, George refines the product. The result is a more musically and emotionally complex and appealing performance. From grief-stricken to ecstatic, singers must meld their voices and emotions to add color, texture and dimension to the ``Requiem.''

``I had them all singing like Ethel Merman,'' said George in a lighter moment. At the first rehearsal, in one section of the work, he had asked the singers to acquire a brilliant, brassy quality.

``The `Requiem' and big choral pieces are not performed much anymore,'' said George, noting the enormous production expenses involved in mounting great choral works of such large scope.

``We `had' a budget,'' said James Stemen, director of the Los Robles Master Chorale. He acknowledged that production costs have exceeded available funds. For fewer than a handful of rehearsals and one performance, orchestra and auditorium costs alone have totaled more than $20,000.

``And you can go from there,'' added Stemen.

Raynier said he thought the Verdi ``Requiem'' was the most exciting piece out there for singers.

Fellow soloist, tenor Michael Lyon, agreed.

``We tend to get `volume' from the piece,'' he concluded with a grin.

Saliefendic, Raynier and Lyon will be joined in this performance by baritone soloist John Ross Nelson.

The contingent of soloists, along with conductor, orchestra and chorales, will take the stage at 8 p.m. For tickets and information, call Ticketmaster at [phone] or the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza box office at [phone].

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) Grammy-winning conductor Vance George rehearses with the Ventura County and Los Robles chorales at Moorpark College.

(2--Ran only in Conejo edition--Color) Singers from the Ventura County and Los Robles chorales rehearse Verdi's ``Requiem'' for their Oct. 25 performance in Thousand Oaks.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News