Beauty, Novelty and Expression

Dorothee Mields, soprano

Sumner Thompson, baritone

Pacific Baroque Festival Ensemble

Marc Destrubé, violin and direction

Alix Goolden Performance Hall
February 5, 2016

By James Young

For at least two important reasons this year's edition of the Pacific Baroque Festival deserved to be highly anticipated. The first reason is that some serious star power is on the marquee. For several years the Festival has concentrated on presenting distinguished local musicians and emerging artists, but this year Dorothee Mields, one of Europe's most exciting early music sopranos, was the headliner. The other reason is that Marc Destrubé, the Festival's Artistic Director, has put together a programme of little-known but exciting repertoire.

This evening's concert began with a Sonata à 4 (really, I think, à 5, if you count the basso continuo) by Johann Rosenmüller (1619-84). This piece provided an excellent introduction to the concert and to German music of the mid to late seventeenth century. This is music characterized by rich sonorities (to which the use of viols greatly contributes), dense counterpoint, and serious intent. It is not music for empty display and Destrubé adopted precisely the right approach. The playing was never showy. Instead, it was introspective and reflective. The continuo part was realized with a wide palette of colours. My only question concerns whether a dulcian would have been a more historically appropriate member of the continuo group than the bassoon, expertly played by Katrina Russell.

Next up was a cantata by Johann Philipp Krieger (1649-1725), "Einsamkeit, du Qual der Hertzen" ("Loneliness, torment of the hearts"). To my mind, this was the highlight of the evening. The piece consists of three verses sung over a chaconne bass. At first Mields was accompanied only by theorbo and viol. The transparent texture of the accompaniment assisted with the exemplification of loneliness, with Mields' voice left exposed and almost isolated. Mields' has a lovely light soprano voice, nuanced and full of expression, a voice that is perfectly suited to this repertoire. The final verse is given to the violin and Destrubé played in an aching manner that perfectly preserved the mood of melancholy isolation. This was the best thing I have heard this year. Okay, it is only the first week of February - but even so.

Johann Ahle (1625-1673) is, I gather, still represented in the Lutheran hymn book, but he is a composer new to me. Sumner Thompson, a fine baritone well-known to Victoria audiences, joined Mields for three songs by Ahle. Thompson essayed the first of the songs himself before being joined by Mields for the remaining two. The repertoire was apparently unfamiliar to both singers, and both of them were a little too stuck into their scores. I felt that this interfered with the connection between the singers and the audience. Still the lines were nicely shaped and effectively delivered. The highlight of the Ahle set was, I thought, the viols (two bass and one tenor) in the "Jubilus-Jesu dulcis". The playing of the viols, in conjunction with a continuo group of cello, theorbo and organ was lush and atmospheric.

A set of three pieces by Dietrich Buxtehude (c. 1637-1707) was up next. First (and concluding the first half of the concert) was "Ich suchte des Nachts", BuxWV 50. Immediately after the interval we heard an arrangement of the organ Ciacona in e minor, BuxWV 160, for strings. Concluding the set was the cantata "Quesmadmodum desiderat servus", BuxWV 92. (These works are a natural pair since the cantata has a chaconne bass. I found "Ich suchte des Nachts" a rather meandering work: perhaps that was the point since it tells the story of a soul wandering in search of "the one who loves my soul" (presumably Jesus). The other two works, however, I found very engaging, perhaps because of my predilection for a nice chaconne. BuxWV 160 was given a delicate performance. "Quesmadmodum desiderat servus" was an excellent showcase for the virtuosity of Mields and I enjoyed it thoroughly. But, as one of my companions at the concert observed, chaconne à son gôut.

Johann Adam Reincken (1643-1674) was represented on the programme by his Sonata in d minor, No. 4 from Hortus musicus. The work is an interesting combination of two forms: The first movement is marked Sonata: Grave (Adagio) - Allegro - Solo. Adagio and is based on the models of Italian sonatas. The remaining movements (Allemand, Courant, Saraband, and Gigue) are the canonical dances of a German suite as established by Froberger. As with all of the other works on the programme, it was given a thoughtful, unshowy performance such as befits such serious and profound music.

The concert concluded with "Wie liegt die stadt so Wüste", by Matthias Weckmann, a majestic work scored for soprano, baritone, two violins, three viols, and b.c. (here realized on theorbo, bassoon, cello and organ). It is not exactly the sort of upbeat conclusion found in many concerts. Rather it is a challenging and powerful work. Mields' singing was desolate and even heart-rending and Thompson was equally forlorn. The playing was heart-felt and sincere, as the musicians did justice to a work of profound piety.

This was an evening of brave programming and the music was given committed, stylish performances. I was pleased to see that a Victoria audience fully embraced the programme and responded to it enthusiastically.