While many Northwest cities have flourishing early music groups, few have all the resources necessary for large works, so it makes sense for Early Music Vancouver, Early Music Society of the Islands (Victoria), and Seattle’s own Early Music Guild to join forces once in a while to present something like Bach’s Magnificat, as they did here mid-December under EMG auspices (there were two performances in this area and several more in Victoria and Vancouver).
Being able to field three Baroque trumpeters and three Baroque oboists is a feat, let alone a player of the oboe d’amore (mezzo-soprano oboe), a violinist who could play the violino piccolo (tuned a third higher than normal), and a player of the violone (the double bass member of the viol family), to join two Baroque flutes and many strings.
All these instruments were on stage for the Magnificat performance which ended the concert, and also for Bach’s glorious cantata “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme,” on the metaphorical wedding between Christ and faithful souls.
Already a cornucopia of musical riches, the program also included a Telemann concerto. This was listed as being for three trumpet, two oboe and timpani soloists, but to audience mystification there were no oboes playing (more of a surprise since the oboes were definitely available). It turned out that the concerto played was not the one listed: TWV 54:D3, but TWV 54:D4 instead; the same forces but without the oboes. Nevertheless it was a splendid performance of a work most of us had never heard live, despite a few glitches on those treacherous and very difficult instruments, the Baroque trumpets, played by Kris Kwapis, Bruno Lourensetto, and Lena Console.
For the cantata and the Magnificat, there was no chorus, but five soloists who joined together to sing the choral parts. These were sopranos Molly Quinn and Danielle Sampson, alto Meg Bragle, tenor Aaron Sheehan and bass Jesse Blumberg. The concert began with the cantata and, with a big (for Baroque) orchestra of 23, there were times when the sopranos were a little overwhelmed by the instrumental sound, except in their high registers. The same for the Magnificat, except in the inserted Christmas texts that Bach only used at Christmas where the accompaniment was lighter.
A fine musician and scholar, Alexander Weimann, directing from the harpsichord, creates performances which are so alive they leap from the stage as they did here. Highlights included the opening chorus of “Wachet auf,” with the plangent sound of the oboes prominent, and the beautiful love duet “Mein Freund ist mein” of soprano Sampson and bass Blumberg with oboe obbligato, organ, harpsichord, and bassoon.
In the Magnificat, the alto/tenor duet “Et Misericordia,” with flutes and strings was one shining moment, another the following chorus “Fecit potentiam,” with a sparkling tempo and trilling drum roll at the end. Wiemann kept the faster tempos remarkable fast, and this nearly did in soprano Sampson in the duet “Virga Jesse” with the splendid bass of Blumberg, where her runs almost slithered together rather than being tightly articulated, but this was the only moment for her and all the others where those tempos caused any diminution of the very high standards pertaining throughout.
How rare to hear this music live, so familiar from recordings. Yet there is something about the immediacy of the live performance, its nearness, which gives it that extra dimension creating a thrilling experience. And indeed, this concert was just that.
