MiV Home
Church of St. John the Divine
November 23, 2014
Regular readers of this space will know of my trials and tribulation when trying to get a good seat at increasingly popular Victoria Baroque Players concerts. (For some of my adventures, click here.) Getting a good seat was no trouble on this occasion, but only because the VBP switched the kickoff time to 8:00 p.m. - it had always been 7:30 p.m. in the past - leaving me to make an especially detailed study of the programme and programme notes.
My study of the concert programme revealed that the programme was especially designed for the last Sunday in the church year, the first before Advent. I also read that the St. John's Chamber Singers have recruited a fresh crop of new soloists. Perhaps most excitingly, my perusal of the programme revealed that the VBP have somehow scared up two baroque oboe players: Curtis Foster and Marea Chernoff. Where they were found, I have no idea: baroque oboists are not exactly thick on the ground. But they are a welcome addition as they make possible an exciting expansion of the repertoire that the VBP can essay.
The evening began with a performance of the Magnificat (TWV 9:18) by Georg Philipp Telemann. Settings of the Magnificat, which conveys Mary's response to the news that she shall bear the Christ Child, are often associated with this time of year. The work, not coincidentally, features two oboes. (Both oboists gave assured performances on a notoriously cranky instrument.)
After the suitably joyful performance of the first chorus, we had our first chance to hear one of the newly recruited soloists, soprano Rachel Allen. She gave a nicely expressive performance. She began by capturing the vulnerability Mary can be expected to have felt on receiving such news. As the news sinks in, and Mary realises that "all generations will call [her] blessed," the performance became appropriately joyful. The aria was effectively accompanied by flute and recorder. (The addition of oboists to the VBP is a bonus since many oboists can double on recorder. On this occasion, apparently only Curtis Foster felt confident enough to take on a recorder part and the second one was played on traverso by Soile Stratkauskas. I assume that the score calls for two recorders.) Subsequent arias featured Alana Hayes, Kaden Forsberg, and Nathan McDonald. All gave good accounts of themselves, displaying a good knowledge of baroque idiom and confirming that the St. John's Chamber Singers have become a singer factory. Throughout, David Stratkauskas kept things going along at a nice brisk pace.
Next up was "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", BuxWV 100 by Dietrich Buxtehude, a work specifically written for the last Sunday of the church year. This work featured a trio of young singers: Allen, Jayne Hammond and McDonald. Hammond showed herself to be the equal of her colleagues. McDonald did a good job of injecting drama into his part while eschewing an excessive use of vibrato. The highlight of this piece was certainly the concluding trio, where the three voices combined nicely and maintained an excellent balance.
The final work before the interval was a bit of a novelty: Telemann's Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, TWV 51:G9, the earliest (surviving) concerto for viola. This work gave Mieka Michaux an opportunity to take centre stage instead of filling in the harmonies. She took full advantage.
The work began with a stately largo in a rather galant idiom and Michaux imparted a sense of gravitas. She then raced through a rather tricky allegro and tossed off the andante with aplomb. The final movement, marked presto, was taken at a run and provided a thrilling conclusion. The performance was received enthusiastically by the audience.
Speaking of violas, I should note that Joanna Hood, of Lafayette String Quartet fame, was the other violist this evening, making (so far as I know) her VBP debut.
After the interval we heard Bach's setting of "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", BWV 140. (Apparently this is Soile Stratkauskas's favourite Bach cantata.) Andrew Clark's horn added a nice touch to the opening chorus -- playing from the pulpit, the horn part imparted a rather angelic element, coming as it were from on high.
The entire work was emotionally charged, with chorus, soloists and instrumentalists all giving strong performances. I wondered a little about the decision to have verse two sung by the entire tenor section rather than by a soloist. I am quite sure that Bach would have had this verse sung by a single singer. On the other hand, the duet for soprano (Hammond) and bass was a delightful representation of fulfilled love. The duet was expertly enhanced by oboe (Foster) and bassoon (Katrina Russell). And the final verse was a wonderful showcase for the choir, rising to a brilliant crescendo.
All in all, this was a very satisfying evening of music making.
On a side note: the VBP have released their first CD, Virtuosi of the Baroque, featuring violinist Kati Debretzeni. It is available on the Marquis label.
MiV Home