San Francisco Classical Voice

Not even the final moments of the Super Bowl overshadowed Bach's Orchestral Suites performed by Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Jordi Savall guest conducting, Sunday at Berkeley's First Congregational Church. The evening had an unpropitious beginning when, having promised my 10 year-old son Andrew a night out alone with Mom, I first had to extricate him from the game's ending. I knew that the concert would not only be in sharp contrast to the rugged enterprise of the football heroes, but, next to the elementary school violin concerts in which he performs, would also likely present a taste of musical paradise.

The music was imbued with the spirit of the dance, the program superlatively performed, a veritable feast of dance movements. Excellent program notes by harpsichordist Jennifer Griesbach included a Glossary of Terms that guided the listeners with descriptions of the more obscure dances. By the time the program concluded, there were so many examples of the types, even Andrew could not miss recognizing the classic binary dance forms.

It's a simple matter to take in all of Bach's Orchestral Suites in one sitting in the privacy of a living room. However, hearing them all performed live in one concert is a rare event, one that Bach himself perhaps never enjoyed. Savall offered an artful, fresh presentation of old favorites. A great master of his craft, he communicated his fine musical intentions with precise, graceful gestures and economy of motion.

The musicians played the Orchestral Suite No. 3, the classic "war horse" that opened the program, with tremendous love and respect. All of the delightful subtleties and delicious moments sounded fresh, as if this were their first playing. The stirring, majestic Overture was heightened by the sound of the trumpets, timpani, oboes and bassoon. The delicious winds' solo and tutti sections contrasted beautifully with the longing, wistful Air for strings alone. Elizabeth Blumenstock, the outstanding concertmaster, led this lovely moment. The Gigue brought a spirited close to the Suite.

The Suite No. 1, second on the program, was rich with dance movements: the Courante and Forlane, and two each of the Gavotte, Menuet, Passepied, and Bourrée, the winds giving a particularly jocular presentation of Bourrée II. Once again, we were treated to delightful wind trio solos that emerged often out of the string tapestry. Harpsichordist Charles Sherman provided masterful and tasteful continuo support. A whimsical, elusive Forlane, a rarely heard dance, soared like the wind, and a relaxed and graceful Passepied closed the piece.

In the Orchestral Suite No. 2, Stephen Schultz, the flute soloist, offered a graceful and spirited performance, the excellent musical subtleties clearly evident in the lovely church acoustics. An appropriately scaled back orchestra gave the baroque flute a full musical presence, floating over even the string sound. The Polonaise, living up to its definition as a stately 17th-century Polish dance, was brilliantly enlivened with dynamic shadings. The Badinerie, which closed the Suite, reminded us of the music's jocular side.

Rejoining the orchestra for the program's finale, the Orchestral Suite, No. 4, the brass instruments' festive sound, particularly splendid in the Gavotte, brought the evening to a rousing, exuberant close in the Réjouissance. The enthusiastic audience was very appreciative of the encore, the Jouissant movement from Handel's Fireworks, a truly delightful close to a marvelous evening.

(Elaine Thornburgh teaches harpsichord at Stanford University, performs throughout the United States and has an upcoming tour in Poland this April.)

©2000 Elaine Thornburgh, all rights reserved