Review of Mastersingers by the Sea's "A Musical Banquet"
Published on Thursday, November 12, 2009
Review of "A Musical Banquet" by Susan Pennington
(Susan Pennington is the music director at St. Anthony’s Church and teaches art appreciation at the Cape Cod Conservatory.)
“A Musical Banquet” was presented by Mastersingers by the Sea, conducted by David MacKenzie, this past weekend, and it was truly a great feast. Dr. MacKenzie has researched contemporary, recent works for small ensembles, that are rarely performed and found a real gem in Chris DeBlasio’s (1959-1993) “The Best Beloved.” Written for Trinity Church, New York City, it is scored for soprano, chorus and string ensemble and illuminates Jacobean texts.
Rebecca Grimes, soprano, opened the work with the fervent yearnings of Psalm 63, King James Version: O God . . . my soul thirsteth for thee. The strings shimmered beneath her effortlessy soaring obbligato and then created a firm foundation for “But the King shall rejoice in God” sung with emphasis by the choir.
“Holy Sonnet” by John Donne began with a repetitive “Batter my heart” by the chorus and reached a feverish pitch in the desire to be united with the three-personed God: I, except you enthrall me, never shall be free, nor ever chaste, except you ravish me. The Mastersingers sang forcefully with clarity and intensity. Many had committed the score to memory and could communicate with the audience the fervor they felt through this effective plea for human love as a metaphor for union with the divine. “My thoughts hold mortal strife, I do detest my life,” words of William Drummond, were characterized by dissonant, lamenting cries which faded out to a single note by the (stringed) bass (Karl Doty), perhaps signifying ultimate despair. Francis Quarles’ “My beloved is mine, and I am his” brought the work to a peaceful resolution (as did the same words in last spring’s performance of James D. Wagoner, Song of Solomon) with romantic-sounding strings and a tenderness in harmony and sound. A truly remarkable work, one to which the large audience responded with a standing ovation.
The concert opened with J.S. Bach, Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C, which used French dance movements and showed the influence of the new Italian concerto, with highlighted passages for oboe and bassoon. The musicians took a little time to coalesce to the conductor’s beat, but once there, it was an enjoyable romp with Bach at his happiest. He wrote the Suites to be performed by his students in coffeehouses, which helped to free music from its courtly and sacred functions and to make it accessible and familiar to the newly-emerging middle class.
Albinoni’s Concerto for Two Oboes featured Laura Shamu and Laura Pardee-Schaefer who were well matched in timbre, agility, phrasing and nuanced dynamics. They were accompanied by spirited, driven upper strings and a bouncing continuo to keep everyone on course. The Adagio, in between two Allegro movements, was bittersweet, with passages in minor key always with a hint of the major harmonies to come. It was an amazing performance, one which showed the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players to be an ensemble to be admired for its talent and dedicated performance.
Handel’s “Laudate Pueri Domini (Psalm 112)” praises the Lord with uplifting beauty. Ms. Grimes’ contribution was lyrical and graceful but would have had greater impact had she been able to make some eye contact with the listeners to better express the joyful passages. The duets with oboe, “Blessed be the name of the Lord,” and “The Lord is high above all nations” were exquisite and conveyed devotional urgency.
The chorus was dynamically subtle and precise throughout and should be commended for its diligence, hard work and dedication. They clearly like and respect Dr. MacKenzie, feelings shared by many in this music-loving community. This concert was the third of the weekend, held at St. Barnabas Church Sunday afternoon.
