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St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
December 22, 2018
There is something special, even for non-believers like myself, about the Christmas season, particularly the music.
However, there is also a downside to attending a concert within a few days of Christmas Day: finding the time to write a review, as the Holiday Season's mad whirl engulfs all; and then, almost before you can catch your breath, the New Year is upon us, with all that implies socially.
And, naturally, the longer you put off finishing (or even starting) the review, the more it comes to resemble the Sword of Damocles, hanging tenuously over the head of the hapless critic.
And then you fracture a tooth and your laptop's hard drive dies.
As Charlie Brown (yes, that one) once observed: "suddenly, I'm writing Country-Western music".
All of which is, of course, to quote W.S. Gilbert, merely corroborative detail, intended to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative.
Nevertheless, it will have to serve as my excuse for failing to get this review online in the same month (year even) as the concert itself.
Which is unfortunate, as, like every single previous EMSI Christmas Concert I have attended (and I do try never to miss them), was an absolute joy, from start to finish.
One tends to hear more of the music of Domenico Scarlatti than his father Alessandro, so the opportunity of hearing the latter's Sinfonie di Concerto Grosso No.2 was most welcome.
The music itself fairly bubbled along, at least in the quicker sections, wonderfully light and airy, with delicious contrasts between the soloists (flute and trumpet, hardly a typical pairing) and the ripieno.
Although I did not find Scarlatti's melodies particularly individual, he certainly had a keen sense of orchestral textures, particularly for a composer the majority of whose output focused on the human voice.
The largo from Francesco Manfredini's Concerto Grosso Pastorale per il santissimo natale was the first music on the programme explicitly composed for the Christmas season. It inhabits the same gently-rocking world as the Pastoral Symphony from Messiah (Manfredini was born in 1684, the year before Handel and Bach — and Scarlatti fils).
While Manfredini has never been on my own Christmas list, on the basis of this single movement and the exquisite performance, I'd have welcomed the chance of hearing the entire work.
Soloist Rebecca Genge joined the ensemble for aria "Sußer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt" from Bach's Cantata BWV151, which was written for the third day of Christmas (and, before you ask, the text does not mention even a single French hen).
After the introduction, with Soile Stratkauskas' flute weaving sinuously above the accompaniment, Genge's lovely voice floated in, its lullaby-like mood intertwined with more delectable flute ornamentation.
Giuseppe Torelli was born in 1658, making him the oldest composer on the programme; his Sinfonia in D G9 featured a marvellously perky opening movement, enlivened by Kris Kwapis' fluent trumpet (Torelli composed extensively for the instrument) and a triple-time finale which truly danced.
It usually takes less than a single bar to establish the composer of any piece by Vivaldi, and the Concert Grosso, Op.3 No.1 (the first of the twelve which make up L'estro armonico) proved no exception. I especially admired the fine violin solo by Jeanne Lamon in the penultimate movement.
Ellipsis is a wonderful thing, but it can easily lead one astray. Normally when one reads of a "Concerto for X" we mentally supply the missing "and orchestra", or, if a baroque work, more likely "strings and continuo".
And so it was that, not having read the programme notes, I was a little taken aback to realise that in the case of Telemann's Concerto for Four Violins, what was on the label precisely described what was contained in the tin: i.e., viz and to whit, a concerto in which the only performers were the four violinists. (Apparently — I have now read the notes — Telemann composed no fewer than four of these concertos.)
And while it would be foolish to suggest that I did not notice the absence of an orchestral accompaniment, it was certainly the case that, thanks to Telemann's ingenuity, I did not miss it.
No doubt the superb playing of the four soloists — Lamon, Christ Meyers, Chloe Kim and Elyssa Lefurgey-Smith — also assisted in this regard: whether playing solo or accompanying (a task shared between the four), all were magnificent. This and the performance, in August 2016, by the Sombrio Duo (who form part of Victoria Baroque) of his "Gulliver's Travels" suite for two violins, given in the summer of 2016 (you can read my review here) have given me a new appreciation for Georg Philipp.
The most substantial work of the evening was Bach's cantata "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen", BWV51.
While not specifically designated for any particular date in the liturgical calendar, it fits in beautifully with the Christmas season, especially when performed at this exalted level.
The opening aria, for example, is irrefutably joyous and featured Katrina Russell's infectiously burbling bassoon; the continuo in the recitative was exceptionally fine, as was Caroline Nicolas' cello in the subsequent aria. The fourth section may well be a chorale, but it was, at least on this occasion, a chorale with a more than usually spirited accompaniment, while the final, another aria with tutti accompaniment brought the music to a truly uplifting close.
Although it probably does not need to be added, it is nonetheless worth mentioning that Genge and Kwapis contributed immaculate, tasteful and — that word again — joyful solos.
The final group of carols, one harmonised by Michael Praetorius, the other three, respectively, arranged, composed and harmonised by Bach, provided the frosting to the icing on the cake.
As seasonal musical offerings go, I cannot imagine a better.
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