San Francisco Classical Voice

The instrumental highlight of this concert was the performance of Arcangelo Corelli's only trumpet sonata. Written in the traditional trumpet key of D, the work is in five contrasting movements. Switching to trumpet, Thiessen showed beyond all doubt why trumpet players were the highest-paid members of the 18th century orchestra. His clear, incisive attacks and excellent control of register and tone were delightful. Cynthia Roberts and Cynthia Freivogel on violin provided nice counterpoint to the trumpet. The continuo was contributed by Steven Bailey on organ, Tanya Tomkins on cello and Kristin Zoernig on bass.

Cantatas 77 and 27 share the structure of two recitative-aria pairs for soloists framed by full choruses. Ruth Escher's sweet sound was especially effective in the accompanied soprano recitative from Cantata 27. She used her dramatic skills to the fullest here, with fine result. Her aria in Cantata 77 was also a treat to hear, graced with the fine oboe playing of McClain and Stephen Bard. Another standout accompanied recitative was sung by tenor Daniel Hutchings in Cantata 77. His clear declamation and lovely tone was convincing. Hugh Davies made his debut with the choir on this occasion, contributing a moving interpretation of the bass aria from Cantata 27, which has a great viola part, played solidly by Phyllis Kamrin.

The choir was given many opportunities to shine. Besides the two choruses apiece in Cantatas 27 and 77, they performed arias from Cantatas 163 and 146. The high voices had their finest moment in the soprano and alto duet from Cantata 163, "Nimm mich mir." Close imitation between the two vocal lines, in addition to the well-trained voices of the choir, produced a closely woven tapestry of sound. The tenors and basses sang the duet "Wie will ich mich freuen" from Cantata 146. A joyful piece, it skips along in a dancelike triple rhythm. The agility and good expression in the voices was admirable, as was the obbligato organ playing of Steven Bailey.

One interesting choral choice that Bach made in Cantata 27 was not composing the final chorus himself. Rather, he recycled a famous funeral hymn by Johann Rosenmüller, "Welt ade! ich bin dein müde." It sounded so 1640s; in fact, it was published in Leipzig in 1649. Considering that Rosenmüller was employed by the Thomaskirche at that time, it is likely that Bach drew on the resources he had at hand to complete his own work. But it may have been not merely a time-saving move: Bach was often known to draw on old-fashioned works for performances, works that were part of the great Lutheran tradition of his employers in Leipzig.

Another example of musical recycling was the chorus "Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich" from Cantata 17. This chorus also appears in the G major Lutheran Mass that the choir performed last year. Babbitt told the audience that it is a real favorite with the choir, so it was appropriate to perform both versions. It is a fantastic chorus indeed, and the choir did a fine job of negotiating its difficult passagework.

If this is just the beginning of its 70th season, the San Francisco Bach Choir promises a fine concert year indeed. The enthusiasm and dedication of the enlightened amateurs of the group, as well as their professional cohorts, serve as a fine example of this choral tradition in the Bay Area. May they inspire more groups to do likewise.