Sunday�s unseasonably warm, soggy forecast certainly wasn�t one to encourage the [�]
Michael Barrett conducted Boston Cecilia Sunday in Brookline. Photo: BC
Sunday�s unseasonably warm, soggy forecast certainly wasn�t one to encourage the Christmas spirit. But inside Brookline�s All Saints Parish, Boston Cecilia did their best to dispel the day�s gloomy aspect.
Led by conductor Michael Barrett and accompanied by organist Kevin Neel, the afternoon�s program, �Bach Illuminated,� was centered on the iconic German composer: music he wrote, composers he influenced, and predecessors that influenced him. Heard via stream and even from a distance, the concert added up to a substantial, mostly festive musical offering.
The afternoon�s largest number was J. S. Bach�s motet Jesu, meine Freude. Though its text makes no mention of either Advent or Christmas, the work has, since the composer�s day, been associated with these seasons.
Sunday�s reading was warmly sung, the choir bringing strong dynamic contrasts to its eleven movements, especially the opening �Jesu, meine Freude� and the gently rolling �Ihr aber seid nicht Fleischlich.�
Most impressive were its three trios: �Denn das Gesetz,� �So aber Christus,� and �Gute Nacht, o Wesen.� Each was delivered with pure-toned focus by soloists drawn from Cecilia�s ranks (Maryl�ne Altieri, Jamie Chelel, Grace Coberly, Charlie Evett, Deborah Greenman, Deborah Grose, Benjamin Petty, Connor Vigeant, and Megan Weireter).
The afternoon�s account of Johann Sebastian�s Vom Himmel hoch was likewise clear and secure, as were a pair of pieces by the great man�s older cousins, Johann Michael and Johann Christoph (who also had the distinction of being J. S.�s first father-in-law). Barrett�s account of the former�s Halt was du hast was conspicuously well-enunciated and -phrased, while the melismas in the latter�s Lieber Herr Gott flowed gracefully.
Similar figurations in Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck�s Hodie Christus natus est, however, weren�t quite as refined and the �Gloria� from Dietrich Buxtehude�s Missa brevis would have benefited from bolder dynamic shaping. Regardless, Giovanni Palestrina�s O magnum mysterium was well-blended and several of the selections highlighting Bach�s enduring influence were striking.
Chief among those was Fanny Hensel�s Gebet in der Christnacht, a prayerful hymn heard on Sunday in Olivia Sparkhall�s choral arrangement. A simple, lovely work, the score unfolded in shapely waves of sound.
Similarly memorable were a pair of motets by Hensel�s brother, Felix Mendelssohn. His Weinachten and Im Advent brought the afternoon a welcome dose of brightness and energy. Cecilia dispatched both works with good diction and strong rhythmic presence.
Johannes Brahms� Es ist das Heil offered a mix of serenity and vigor, Barrett drawing singing of limber athleticism over its fugal second part. The same quality marked both the lively middle section of Zanaida Robles� Ecstatic Expectancy and its outer solos, the latter invigoratingly sung by Lessie Tyson�and Deborah Grose.
Meanwhile, the pungent dissonances of Knut Nystedt�s Immortal Bach functioned as a kind of late-afternoon wakeup call and set up a strong contrast with Adolphus Hailstork�s nobly lyrical A Christmas Canticle.
To close the afternoon, Barrett and Company offered an encore of one more piece by Johann Sebastian: a fittingly sweet account of �O Jesulein s�ss,� featuring Bach devotee Max Reger�s harmonization of the tune discreetly interpolated into the second verse.
Boston Cecilia performs music by Lili Boulanger, Claude Debussy, Francis Poulenc, Maurice Ravel, Camille Saint-Sa�ns, Sydney Guillaume, Lionel Dauner, and more 8 p.m. March 16 at All Saints Parish. bostoncecilia.org
