San Francisco Classical Voice

FESTIVAL REVIEW Satisfying Brandenburgs

August 4, 2001

By Cynthia Albers

The Napa Valley Chamber Music Festival, subtitled Music in the Vineyards (as befits its venues, elegant wine cellars, and tasting rooms), presented Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos on two consecutive evenings last weekend. This was its largest project to date. On Saturday, seated between towering rows of copper stills at the RMS Brandy Distillery, a conductorless ensemble of artists from the San Francisco Opera, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Alcan Quartet of Quebec played Concertos Nos. 1, 3, and 4.

Under the strong leadership of violinist Dawn Harms, the 18-piece ensemble launched vigorously into Concerto No. 1 in F Major. In the absence of a violino piccolo, the instrument originally specified for the violin solos, Harms tuned her instrument a minor third higher and performed this active part with stylish confidence. The high point of the concert came early in this work, when Harms and oboist Kathryn Greenbank wove melodic passages so rich in expression that the sound was simply breathtaking.

The stone walls and high ceiling surrounding the musicians created an acoustic much too live for a group of this size and strength, and the nuance of the strings was often lost in reverberation. However, the effect at times was mystical and favorable to the winds, benefiting oboist Greenbank most of all.

Ensemble as Bach Intended

Concerto No. 3 in G Major was performed with one player per part, as Bach intended, thus providing the transparent texture necessary for an ensemble of soloists. Harms drew seamless connections between movements, and the music pulsed forward, driven by a powerful bass section of cellists Martha Reikow, Thalia Moore, and David Ellis. Daria Adams, Festival Music Director and a member of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, came to the front as violin soloist in Concerto No. 4 in G Major. She brought a velvety sound to the fiery solos in the first and last movements. The recorder players — Clea Galhano (known for her performances of Brazilian music) and Bay Area artist Judith Linsenberg — created the perfect blend of sound, with playing that was strikingly compatible.

Although the tutti strings were fraught with intonation problems, the ensemble performed with spirited energy and musical integrity. Programs featuring just one composer can become tedious, but not when it's Bach and the variegated Brandenburg concertos, and not in such performances that whet appetites for more.

(Cynthia Albers is a violinist and teacher residing in rural Sonoma County. She performs with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, and is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Music.)