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Church of St. John the Divine
November 9, 2012
This evening the Victoria Baroque Players and the St. John's Chamber Singers continued their tour through some of the less well-known cantatas of J.S. Bach. With Remembrance Day in the offing, these were offered under the rubric "Music of Trust and Peace." ("Panglossian" was the adjective a heathen might have choosen to describe these works).
The programme began with "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan", BWV99, a pleasing work featuring flute, oboe and horn. After the sunny opening chorus, we treated to a strong and confident Recitative by Nathan McDonald. Adam Dyjach, in the succeeding tenor aria, seemed to be tense and straining a bit to reach the high notes. The best part of the aria was the tender flute (played by VBP stalwart Soile Stratkauskas) and the sensitive continuo playing contributed by Martin Bonham on cello and David Stratkauskas on organ.
Then came the revelation of the evening: the singing of Kiiri Michelsen in the second recitative and in the duet with Eve Richardson. Michelsen, a Victoria native, has recently returned to Victoria after studying abroad and she has brought back a lovely warm voice and excellent technique. She has not been trained as an early music specialist, but she made some concessions to period style and, of the singers we heard this evening, she definitely has the best chops. You need to hear this young woman sing while she is back in Victoria. I will not be surprised if she relocates to a larger musical centre before very much longer. The Duet with the ever-improving Richardson was delightful, as was the closing choral.
Next up was a Sonata in F by Johann Friedrich Fasch, an almost exact contemporary of Bach. This work is scored for flute, violin, oboe, horn and basso continuo. From where I sat, this combination of instruments was not absolutely ideal. The horn dominated the proceedings a little too much and the flute was barely audible. Fortunately, Andrew Clark, is an internationally acclaimed virtuoso on the natural horn and well worth hearing. (I was told that the balance was better towards the front of the church.) Despite the balance problems, I was happy to hear this work by an under-rated composer.
The first half of the programme concluded with Bach's cantata "Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange?" BWV155. Composed for a week in which the Thomaskirche would not spring for woodwinds or horn, this is a rather workaday cantata, but it is by Bach and still worth hearing. Richardson turned in a nice recitative before the succeeding duet provided the evening's other revelation: the singing of Mark Donnelly. Who knew that Victoria was home to such a promising countertenor? Donnelly's singing was unforced, natural and masculine. Dyjach seemed more comfortable when singing in a lower register. Bach excels at capturing a mood and Donnelly and Dyjach brought it to life with their singing in this Duet. Another strong recitative by McDonald was followed by the soprano aria, sung by newcomer Emma Hannan, and the short and sweet final chorale. While I am morally certain that this chorale would have been sung one to a part in Bach's day, the choir unquestionably did a good job with it. (This is not to say that I am entirely in the Rifkin camp when it comes to the question of whether Bach's vocal works should be done one to a part.)
Christoph Graupner, another of Bach's near contemporaries, is undergoing a bit of a renaissance and he is proving to be a composer of considerable ability. This evening we heard his Concerto for Bassoon and Strings in c minor, GWV307. The bassoon, played by Katrina Russell, was pleasingly forlorn in the opening Andante. The next movement, marked Vivace, is the most extended in the work. Russell displayed formidable agility in negotiating this up-beat movement. The Largo and Allegro were shorter movements, but still individually characterised.
The evening concluded with Bach's cantata, "Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin", BWV125. Michelsen again impressed with a serene performance of the alto aria. This was hauntingly accompanied on flute, oboe, cello and organ. The duet between tenor and bass was also successful. McDonald was a secure as ever and Dyjach again was stronger than in his opening aria. The piece ended with a short alto recitative and a mellifluous chorale featuring the whole choir.
The Victoria Baroque Players continue to be a major asset to the Island musical community. Before their arrival, we simply could not hear Bach's cantatas so frequently or so well performed. The chances to hear Bach performed in a historically informed manner were few and far between. I look forward to following the progress of the ensemble and the progress of the young singers we heard this evening.
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