Chicago Classical Review

Sometimes, the aura of reverence around Bach can suffocate performances of his works. This was not the case with Apollo’s Fire, the Cleveland-based Baroque ensemble, who returned to Chicago to open their fourth Windy City Series. 

In their concert of Brandenburg Concertos Saturday night at St. James Cathedral, Apollo’s Fire breathed new life into these familiar favorites while showcasing the virtuosity within their ranks. Purists may balk at some of the liberties Apollo’s Fire took regarding tempo fluctuations and phrasing—as well as their extroverted movements on stage—yet overall, the period-instrument group brought enjoyable energy to their performance of these beloved works.

The Brandenburg Concertos are unique in their daring instrumentations. Each of the six concertos employs an unusual combination of instruments and soloists, from the dark-hued No. 6, which does away with the violins in favor of violas and gambas, to No. 2, where the violin, recorder, oboe, and trumpet soloists duke it out for top billing. Consequently, the program, while consisting solely of Bach, had plenty of textural and sonic variety.  

Saturday’s concert began not with a Brandenburg Concerto but with Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C minor, BWV 1060R, giving oboist Debra Nagy two solo outings across the night. Apollo’s Fire burst into the opening Allegro with the group’s characteristic energy, each player (aside from the cellists) standing and swaying in time. 

As engaging as it is to see the two-dozen players visibly enjoying themselves so much, the extraneous physicality was sometimes a hindrance to ensemble cohesion in the fast movements and at times made one almost seasick. As concertmaster and violin soloist, Alan Choo was particularly showman-like in his movements, while Nagy was more reserved. The difference in the soloists’ physical performances mirrored the sonic result, as Nagy’s gentle tone was often buried by Choo and the rest of the strings.

The second movement was more successful, the plucked string accompaniment offsetting Nagy’s sinuous oboe melody. The final movement was more together than the first as the initial adrenaline subsided, but some of the details were blurred by the corona of the cathedral acoustic.

Apollo’s Fire then presented four of the six Brandenburg Concertos. Artistic director Jeannette Sorrell, directing from the harpsichord, cited No. 3 as “democracy in music” with ten individual string parts that act as equal soloists. Being a lithe group, the opening Allegro was a few clicks faster than one is used to hearing, and the dramatic pauses at the arc of the main melody before cascading down added a nice surprise to a familiar piece. However, with each repetition, this gesture became a bit “shtick”-y, and the theatrics sometimes muddied the details. 

Bach only wrote two chords for the Adagio transition movement, leaving it up to his virtuosic players at Köthen to flex their improvisatory muscles. Sorrell played a delightful unaccompanied harpsichord fantasia based on a theme from the first movement, and other players picked up the melodic strands. This quickly cadenced into the closing Allegro, which, although steadier than the first movement, still required impressive athleticism, especially from the viola.

Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 was a real treat, with Caleb Hudson on natural trumpet. Hudson exhibited a crystalline tone and impressive dynamic control, fading to the background when he was not the most important line in the texture—no easy feat when playing such high frequencies.

Hudson’s stylish playing was matched by the other soloists, with Choo and Nagy returning alongside Daphna Mor on recorder. It is nigh on impossible not to bury the recorder and oboe when matched with a trumpet and full string section, but they shined through in the heartfelt Andante. The fast-flying duet between the oboe and the trumpet in the Allegro assai was a highlight of the evening.

Choo and the rest of the violin section got a well-deserved break during Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, led by violists Nicole Divall and Min-Young Kim. As was a recurring theme throughout the program, the opening Allegro verged on swimmy. While the big beats were always together, the constant push and pull of the tempo, with each soloist having their own slightly different idea of rubato and phrasing, led to occasional untidiness.

In particular, the ensemble suffered when Sorrell dropped out, removing the harpsichord’s percussive anchor. Sorrell largely stayed  out of the players’ way, giving them license to be spontaneous and intervening only as needed. As the movement progressed, however, Sorrell decided to provide more gestural assistance during these harpsichord pauses, which helped realign the ensemble. 

Closing out the program was Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, with Choo returning as violin soloist alongside Mor and Kathie Stewart on recorder. The recorders were perfectly in sync in their parallel lines, and Mor played an especially soulful cadenza at the end of the Andante. Choo balanced his dual role as ensemble player and soloist well, beginning the piece as more of a background character before emerging with the impressive pyrotechnics he excels at by the closing Presto. 

Apollo’s Fire returns to Chicago on December 6 with “Wassail!” at Ravinia, followed by Handel’s Messiah December 15 & 16. apollosfire.org

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