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Church of St. John the Divine
December 21, 2013
Of all the composers with whose music I could happily spend an entire evening (and the list is not that long), the name of Johann Sebastian Bach is, if not actually at the top, then certainly very close.
Despite a complete absence of any "seasonally-themed" works (and Bach wrote as much Christmas music as the next composer) this offering from the Victoria Bach Ensemble (now, amazingly, celebrating their first ten years) nonetheless was as much a celebration of peace on earth and goodwill to all people as one could have wished.
The opening work, the chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", has been a personal favourite for some half-century, since I encountered it on the first LP by the Swingle Singers.
With the jaunty one-to-a-part accompaniment supporting David Barss' noble trumpet it was a delightful opening to the evening.
The Keyboard Concerto BWV1055 featured Michael Drislane on the piano - interestingly, the only work of the evening to use this in preference to the harpsichord.
The outer movements were sprightly and mainly well-balanced (see my proviso below); the slow movement demonstrated that one does not need to make the music drag in order to plumb its depths.
My one reservation was that the piano sounded somewhat over-reverberant from where I was sitting (admittedly, a position far less central than I usually favour). Clearly the acoustic (and my position) must shoulder some of the blame, as I realised when Drislane stood to take the applause and I realised, with no little surprise, that he had actually been on the other side of the "stage" from where I seemed to be hearing him.
If there was one work above all the others which I had been keenly anticipating, it was the Concerto for Two Violins, BWV1043, surely one of Bach's greatest purely instrumental works.
Nor was I disappointed: soloists Sharon Stanis and Hannah Burton were marvellous: spirited and vigorous in the outer movements (not to mention animated - I was concerned that they might actually collide with one another in some passages) and deeply lyrical in the wonderful slow movement, although I confess that it could have been a little slower for my taste.
Throughout the work the contrast between solo and ripieno, the interplay of the soloists and the passing of phrases through the ensemble were joys to behold.
Ceilidh Briscoe and Jordan Vermes were the soloists in the Trio Sonata for violin, viola and continuo, arranged by Drislane from the viola da gamba sonata, BWV1029.
While I must admit to not being particularly au fait with the gamba sonatas, it was clear why Drislane felt the work worth expanding to a second soloist, although I'm not entirely sure that a viola was the best choice: Vermes is a fine player but his instrument tended to be overshadowed by the Briscoe's violin and the continuo - of course, the oddity of the acoustic from my sitting place could have been relevant.
Having said which, it was a most enjoyable performance: the outer movements quick, but not overly so, the slow movement flowing gently.
The last work of the evening was also the largest: the cantata No.51, "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen" which featured soprano Eve Daniell and the trumpet of Barss once again.
Daniell was a fine soloist, more than capable of negotiating the sometimes florid music in the opening movement, but also of purveying the recitative in an attractive and meaningful way (which, by the way, is rather less easy than it sounds).
A joyful close to a joyous evening. Long may the Victoria Bach Ensemble flourish!
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