First Night of Orchestra of St. Luke’s Bach Festival

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Thursday, 06 June 2024 10:55

Written by Jack Angstreich

Photo by Jennifer Taylor

At Zankel Hall on the night of Tuesday, June 4th, I had the exceptional privilege to attend this year’s superb first concert of the annual Orchestra of St. Luke’s Bach Festival, under the outstanding direction of conductor and harpsichordist, Jeannette Sorrell.

The program began marvelously with a fabulous account of the still astonishing if inordinately popular Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048. The initial Allegro moderato movement is exultant, even breezy, while the ensuing, very brief Adagio was contrastingly solemn, and the concluding Allegro is also effervescent and energetic. This was followed by the serious, extraordinary Sinfonia from the cantata, Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12, featuring the impressive oboist Melanie Feld.

The outstanding soprano Joélle Harvey then joined the musicians for a brilliant realization of the incandescent cantata, Jauchzet Gott In Allen Landen, BWV 51, which ended the first half of the event. The opening Aria is celebratory in character and the succeeding recitative, “Wir beten zu dem Tempel an,” is an unusually beautiful example of that genre. Another aria, the glorious “Höchster, mache deine Güte,” is sung with only continuo accompaniment, and the work finishes with a joyous chorale, “Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren,” that transitions to an exhilarating Alleluia, with the trumpet indelibly played by Kevin Cobb.

The second part of the evening started unforgettably with Harvey performing two arias from the monumental St. John Passion, BWV 245: the exquisite, cheerful “Ich folge dir gleichfalls,” and “Zerfliesse,” which was powerful , elegiac, magnificent, and exalting. These preceded another splendid Sinfonia; it was from the cantata, Himmelskönig, sei wilkommen, BWV 182. The concert closed stunningly with an entrancing version of the awesome Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major, BWV 1049. The beginning Allegro is lively, while the slow movement—a somber Andante—recalls those of the concerti by Antonio Vivaldi, and the Presto finale is vibrant, indeed dazzling.

These superior artists deservedly received an enthusiastic ovation.

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