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BAROQUE MUSIC REVIEW
March 13, 2004
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By Joseph Sargent
The Netherlands Bach Society, in existence since 1921 but only now making its California debut under the baton of Jos van Veldhoven, brought a dynamic, often heartfelt performance to Berkeley's First Congregational Church on Saturday. The program, “Bach and His Musical Heritage,” was a little bit like playing six degrees of separation, with all the composers having some past relationship with J.S. Bach: teachers, remote relatives, composers holding positions that Bach himself would later assume.
NBS's musical approach is nothing if not expressive. The ensemble's stylized phrasing and almost theatrical dynamic swells were in evidence throughout the evening. The chorus aggressively mined its various texts for word painting and other expressive opportunities. The choice of repertoire, weighted toward multisectional works conducive to frequent mood contrasts, was well suited to the group's temperament.
In light of this, it's somewhat ironic that numerous instances of muted playing punctuated the evening. Several featured performers, including violinist Antoinette Lohmann, guest recorder player Marion Verbruggen and especially alto Peter de Groot, suffered at times from difficulties in projection, causing many of their notes to pass inaudibly. Compensating for this, however, was the overall passion and precision of the instrumental consort and the well-matched, well-blended eight-member vocal ensemble.
Johann Schelle, a protégé of Heinrich Schütz, connects with Bach by means of a common professional link, both having occupied the post of Cantor at Leipzig's St. Thomas Church. His Barmherzig und gnädig ist der Herr (The Lord is merciful and gracious), though a late work, shares with the earlier master a sense of simplicity and clear, homophonic text declamation. A slightly murky beginning soon gave way to the group's customary passion, with vivid dynamic contrasts and solid individual contributions from several vocalists. NBS' propensity for drama was especially effective in Johann Kuhnau's Gott sei mir gnädig (Have mercy upon me, O God), taking full advantage of the work's evocative text. Kuhnau, Bach's immediate predecessor at St. Thomas, tends to favor textual expressive devices over musical form, as evidenced by this work's mood shifts and frequent syllabic declamation. Finely crafted solo vocal lines combined with pitch-perfect ensemble singing to bring this text of supplication to life; not even an ill-timed sneeze during the work's final dramatic pause could destroy its powerful conclusion. Dietrich Buxtehude qualified for the program thanks to his status as Bach's final teacher. His Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott (Remove from us, O Lord, our faithful God) presents vocal soloists, choral ensemble, and instrumental consort in various combinations. The initial stanza, sung homophonically with simple grace by sopranos and tenors, contrasted with a more sinister atmosphere upon the text's repetition; the direct, intense choral declamation combined with thick sustained string sonorities to reflect the passage's stark imagery more directly. Expressive devices were again the order of the day, although their appearance could be jarring at times, as with the oddly chirpy-sounding “then should the world be destroyed and none be left in thy sight.” Others were more predictable, such as the sudden fierce string tremolos on “save us from Satan's wiles.” All were carried out with consummate polish.
Turning to family connections, great-uncle Johann Bach earned a spot on the program with Unser Leben ist ein Schatten (Our life is but a shadow), composed for two choirs: a larger, more somber group alternating with a smaller three-voice “hidden” choir, representing the serenity of heaven. The piece's regular rhythmic patterns belied the sense of drama created by these texture contrasts, fully exploited by the ensemble to create a highly affective reading. And then there is J.S. Bach himself, represented by Cantata 161, Komm, du süsse Todesstunde (Come, thou sweetest hour of death). The opening alto aria, at times barely audible in de Groot's lower register despite spare accompaniment, yielded to a more clearly declaimed tenor recitative and aria “Mein Verlangen” (My longing), infused with nice dramatic poise and a lithe, easy vocal quality. The concluding choruses were appropriately stately on the surface, with recorder players Verbruggen and Anneke Boeke weaving sinewy rapid passages underneath. A couple warhorses filled out the evening. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 brought Verbruggen and Boeke to the fore, playing with much agility and fine balance. The Allegro opened with a reserved, elegant character that seemed out of step with the group's more vigorous tendencies but picked up steam as the movement proceeded. Lohmann's deft fingers dispatched the virtuosic violin runs with ease, while Verbruggen's passionate approach made her recorder lines in the Andante downright sultry (if that's not an oxymoron). The bouncy, fugal Presto brought the piece to an appropriately uplifting close, despite some more of the aforementioned projection issues. A somewhat gratuitous encore performance of ”Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring” gave the audience something to whistle on their way home.
(Joseph Sargent, a doctoral candidate in musicology at Stanford
University, is a professional writer and editor as well as a performer, conductor and scholar of early music.)
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