The temporary home-from-home for the Philharmonia plus choir whilst the Festival Hall is being refurbished. On this occasion, the choir was the Bach Choir. The soloists were Sarah Fox, Karen Cargill, James Gilchrist and Roderick Williams. Conductor and continuo, David Hill. This took place a week ago Thursday but all sorts of IT rubbish has conspired to prevent me posting.
I am going to provide a review, but it must be taken in the context that the acoustics from where I was sitting were appalling. I also started wondering the extent to which the environment of the venue has a detrimental effect upon the performers, especially the singers. I don't suppose the extreme cold can help, but I also wonder if there is difficulty with placement if, for example, the sound comes back dead. All of the soloists seemed to take time to warm up, perhaps literally, and the chorus, especially the sops sounded dead at times. I kind of feel almost unable to comment on the orchestra who sounded distant and mute. Except for the clarinet and organ which sounded all wrong. But that might just have been a trick of the acoustics.
So far no review has appeared in the papers, although the Haitink/Beethoven concert of that night (And repeated, in my presence, the following night) has appeared in two. I can't imagine any self-respecting critic wanting to schlep down to the bar-less freezing venue in that out-of-the-way god-forsaken part of SW1...
The work in question is arguably the most well known in the repertory, certainly in the choral repertory. I can't imagine there was a person there who was not familiar with at least the highlights; I daresay many were word and note perfect, or like me, perfect in my hearing of the words, which is not always consistent with the libretto...! That audience familiarity must provide a unique challenge to the orchestra, chorus and singers. Although, conversely, I suppose it is a work where relatively few people have a definitive version engraved on their minds.
I think the work is worth an essay in itself, to allow myself to ponder its very essence. It is of course an overtly religious work, and yet, it seems to me to transcend its religious message.
Musically, it has barely a dull moment, even though it is not inconsequential in length. And it has many sublime or exquisite moments. In so many places the music seems perfect for the words, although I cannot tell whether that is because simply it is, or it is because of my very great familiarity.
Of the soloists, Karen Cargill was the stand-out. I had never heard of, let alone heard, her prior to the Last Night the Proms. Although on that occasion she was rather overshadowed by Andreas Scholl, I nevertheless felt an instinctive liking for her, and resolved to hear her live, then realised that I was already ticketed to do so. It's a shame I had to hear her in such an appalling venue, because she impressed deeply with her rich and luxurious voice, and I feel sure that a more sympathetic venue would show her to be definitely one to watch. I am of the view that the alto - or mezzo-soprano part is the most important in the oratorio, and on the key arias, He was despised, and O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, she delivered the goods.
As for the other soloists, my remarks must be taken in the context of the appalling acoustics. I did not feel that Roderick Williams was really a bassy enough singer for those tremendous bass of a lyrical-ish baritone voice that sounded lovely higher up his range but lack the ominous sound required for eg Why Do the Nations.
I felt Sarah Fox took longer than everyone else to warm up her voice. I had considerable misgivings about her in Parts 1 and 2, but she redeemed herself entirely with an exquisite I Know that my redeemer liveth.
As for James Gilchrist. I have never heard him sing an ugly note and I believe him to be a very musical singer, but there is something about his voice that simply doesn't do it for me. His technique seems faultless, but I am not sure he is able to metaphorically project off the stage, grab the audience and take them with him. His sequence rebuke broken his heart/Behold and see/He was cut off out of the land of the living/But thou didst not leave his soul in hell was possibly the highlight of the evening, musically exquisite, and , lacking the that I wish was there.
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