It’s not many years since it would have been unusual to hear music by Lully or Rameau at a Seattle Symphony concert. Yes, we would likely have heard some Bach or Handel, but France’s 17th-century composer Lully or 18th-century Rameau, no. Fast forward to today and thanks to music director Ludovic Morlot’s adventurous and expansive spirit in programming, all sorts of music not previously heard in the hallowed environs of a classical music concert hall can be experienced there.
Both French composers were on Friday’s Baroque and Wine series concert at Benaroya Hall Friday night, along with another—until now—rarity at the SSO, a countertenor soloist. Reginald Mobley has made his name in this field for over a decade with one of the most beautiful and expressive voices in this male alto range, and hearing him at Benaroya brought him to the attention to many listeners who might not have gone to hear him at a less mainstream performance.
Reginald Mobley, countertenor (Photo courtesy artist)
He sang three varied arias in the concert’s first half, all favorites of his as he mentioned in the notes: Handel’s “Fammi combattere” (“Let me fight”), from the opera “Orlando,” Bach’s “Widerstehe doch der Sunde” (“Stand steadfast against Transgression”) from Cantata No.54 and, from Bach’s B Minor Mass, the “Agnus Dei.”
It only takes a couple of notes to realize one is in the presence of a very special sound. The firm core of Mobley’s voice allied to warmth and strength while still being gentle leads him to effortless top notes—there seemed no height at which he sounded strained—and equally easy clear fast runs. The energetic, exciting Handel gave way to the contemplative cantata aria which lies lower in the voice. In a deeply moving performance, Mobley’s voice was softer in this register, accompanied only by the strings and harpsichord.
Equally lovely was the familiar “Agnus Dei,” his voice exquisite on high notes, coming out of nothing, pure, soaring, singing sound, with musicianship which comes from the soul and reaches the heart. The audience applauded heartily after each, but after the third, it went on and on. And on, though it was just intermission and there was more to come.
The concert had begun with a colorful Suite from Rameau’s opera “Nais,” with eight short sections ranging from the majestic to the declamatory to the gently conversational to the triumphant with brilliant use of brass and timpani along with the strings. Just two years older than Handel and Bach, Rameau was a consummate opera composer and the drama in this suite reflects his skill.
The Lully, a suite from his incidental music to Moliere’s play “Le bourgeois gentilhomme,” is another dramatic work, not least in the Canarie, a section which begins with sotto voce tambourine gradually increasing to the whole ensemble and dying away again to the soft tambourine. The importance of the prominent oboe parts was underlined by having the musicians stand and be seen as well as heard throughout much of this piece.
Under the leadership of associate conductor Pablo Rus Broseta, the small orchestra did well approximating baroque style and sound, using little vibrato and clear articulation.
Last on the program was Handel’s “Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne” (she was the last of the Stuart dynasty in England). The words are fawningly fulsome, but that was usual for any composer dependent on patronage. The music is vintage Handel, with arias mostly for counter-tenor but additional soprano (Christina Siemens) and baritone (Martin Rothwell) solos and duets with Mobley, plus the Seattle Symphony Chorale singing the refrain to each verse.
While Siemens sounded a little tentative in her first aria, her duet with Mobley was a delight, her voice pure like his and the two balanced in volume and absolutely together. Rothwell’s fine voice is big so the duet balance was a little uneven, but his own aria came off well.
Most unfortunate, however, was the important role of solo trumpet which continues throughout the Ode. In Handel’s day it would have been a trumpet of the period. Today’s instruments are much more piercing in sound. The role of the trumpet here is very high, brilliant, and exceedingly difficult to play. Tony DiLorenzo’s execution was faultless, but the sound was much too loud for the orchestra and soloist.
