On Tuesday we were back at the Barbican for a concert by the Munich Chamber Orchestra under their conductor Alexander Liebreich with soprano Mojca Erdmann (replacing an ill Christine Schäfer), baritone Matthias Goerne and violinist Hilary Hahn. Their concert was based around performances of J.S. Bach's arias for voice with violin obligato, taken from the cantatas, the Mass in B minor and the St Matthew Passion. To these, the orchestra added orchestra movements from suites by J.S. Bach and by his son C.P.E Bach.
The first half started with a sinfonia by C.P.E. Bach, followed by 3 arias from J.S. Bach, then another C.P.E Bach sinfonia and a further 3 J.S. Bach arias. The second half was similar in construction, except that the orchestra items were by J.S. Bach and there were two duets. This probably looked good on paper. But, rather than simply sitting to the side, the soloists were absent from the platform during the orchestral items. This mean that a relatively short concert was padded out rather over much with a great deal of walking to and fro by the soloists (to applause by the audience).
Yet again I was frustrated that an intelligent concert programme was spoiled by the presentation. The whole evening had the aura of a small scale recital for the Wigmore Hall which had been expanded to fit the Barbican. This feeling was intensified by the fact that all the cantata arias, and the two duets, were accompanied by just Hilary Hahn's violin and the continuo group. So that excellent Munich Chamber Orchestra spent quite a lot of time sitting doing nothing.
That said, there was some lovely singing and playing. Goerne was wonderful in the bass ariaJa Ja, Ich Halte Jesum feste from Cantata BWV 157, but elsewhere he seemed restless on stage when not actually singing. His duet with Mojca Erdmann from Cantata BWV 140 was truly ravishing. The evening closed with another duet, from Cantata BWV 158, which meant that the orchestra didn't actually play in the last item!
One curiosity was the soprano version of Erbarme dich from the St. Matthew Passion in Mendelssohn's arrangement.
The orchestra brought on the oboist Claire Sirijacobs in the final duet and the flautist Henrik Wiese in two items including a movement from Bach's Suite No. 2. One fascinating curiosity was that Wiese played in a dog collar and so is, presumably, an ordained clergyman!
Saturday, 27 March 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Popular Posts this month
-
What about blowing the box to pieces: composer Eímear Noone on writing for video games, films and TVEímear Noone (Photo: Andy Paradise) Dublin and LA-based composer Eímear Noone is known for her scores for video games, films and TV. She re...
-
J.M.Synge's Riders to the Sea at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin Ralph Vaughan Williams' operatic masterpiece, Riders to the Sea , his 19...
-
Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro - English National Opera, 2025 (Photo: Zoe Martin) Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro ; Mary Bevan, David Irela...
-
Inner Temple Hall in its modern incarnation built in the 1950s Handel: Solomon; Tim Mead, Rowan Pierce, Hilary Cronin, Frances Gregory, Anna...
-
Wagner: The Flying Dutchman - Robert Hayward as The Dutchman and Edgaras Montvidas as Erik/ Steersman - Opera North (Photo: James Glossop) ...
-
Janáček: Jenůfa - Corinne Winters, Karita Mattila - Royal Opera (Photo: Camilla Greenwell/RBO) Janáček: Jenůfa; Corinne Winters, Karita Mat...
-
Schubert Birthday Concert - Ammiel Bushakevitz, Konstantin Krimmel - Wigmore Hall (Image from Live Stream ) Schubert Birthday Concert : Sch...
-
Last month (28 January), Cardiff University confirmed plans to close Cardiff University School of Music, a facility that has produced outsta...
-
Concertos for the Left Hand : Ravel, Korngold; Mathias Halvorsen, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Otto Tausk; Backlash Music Reviewed 22 January ...
-
Katherine Potter: Eight Nocturnes; Katherine Potter, Adam Pinto; ABC Classic Reviewed 27 January 2025 Personal reflection, late night jazz a...
No comments:
Post a Comment