It’s more than 300 years since Bach was born and well over 250 since he died, but the wealth of musical inspiration he produced remains as fresh today as it was then, and as performable and relevant on all types of instrument (steel band, anyone?).
Given the many ways in which Bach’s music can be, and is, performed, it’s refreshing to go back and try to hear it as Bach would have. It’s doubtful any group could perform it today closer to that aim than did Seattle Baroque Orchestra at Town Hall Saturday night.
Directed by Alexander Weimann from the harpsichord, it even included a transcription by Weimann of the A Minor Concerto BWV 1065 for four harpsichords to one for four violins—an alteration which to Bach, who transcribed for whatever instruments were available, would have been perfectly acceptable.
For that concerto, violinists Christine Beckman, Courtney Kuroda, Carrie Krause, and Laurie Wells passed off phrases to each other in such agreement that if you were listening with eyes shut it would have been impossible to tell where the tradeoffs happened.
The orchestra was small, just thirteen string players and Weimann at the harpsichord, and all the soloists came from within the orchestra, with the addition of flutist Janet See in two concertos. She, with violinist Janet Strauss and harpsichordist Weimann, played the concerto for those three instruments in A minor, BWV 1044; concertmaster Linda Melsted and violinist Chloe Meyers undertook the familiar concerto for two violins in D Minor, BWV 1043. The last on this all-concerto program was the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050, with Melsted, See, and Weimann as the three soloists.
We don’t hear this last one quite as often as the other Brandenburgs, perhaps because the long harpsichord solo in the first movement is fiendishly difficult to play as fast as it should be but still with the impeccable orderliness that is a hallmark of all Bach’s work; and while many places can field baroque string players these days there are fewer baroque flutists of See’s caliber around. The result was superb.
Orchestra and soloists played with sprightly and elegant verve throughout and excellent balance. Technical perfection was without question. There wasn’t a moment which was not sheer delight for Bach lovers.
Weimann, like Stephen Stubbs with the Pacific MusicWorks, is making sure that all orchestra members have a chance to play solo roles and, given what fine players they all are, it brings home how fortunate Seattle is to have musicians like these available.
