Superb singers boost CSO program of Handel and Mozart
This is one of those occasional weeks when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra splits its forces into two ensembles for different events. The larger one is for family concerts and the downsized chamber forces afforded the opportunity for a Classical and Baroque program, which was led by Nicholas Kraemer Thursday night.
Kraemer’s CSO stands have been less consistent than those heard in his more familiar role as principal guest conductor of Music of the Baroque. But Thursday night, aided by a pair of superb vocal soloists, Kraemer served up sturdy and idiomatic performances of music of Handel and Mozart.
The Baroque first half offered an unorthodox mix of Handel—orchestral favorites mingling with less-often-heard vocal selections from the composer’s operas and oratorios.
The Suite No. 2 from Handel’s Water Music led the evening off in lively fashion. In the opening movement and Alla hornpipe, the pairs of trumpets and horns were nimble and stylish in their challenging high parts. Kraemer led the chamber orchestra in equally characterful accounts of the ensuing dances, rounded off with a snappy Bourree.
Four excerpts from Handel vocal works followed, all of which were belated CSO premieres.
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen made his Chicago debut seven years ago with the Newberry Consort and it was clear then that the recent Princeton graduate was on the cusp of a major career. Such has turned out to be the case with the American countertenor now singing regularly on the world’s major opera stages and concert platforms.
Cohen’s artistry was manifest in “Voi che udite” from Agrippina. Heir to the throne, Ottone loses everything in this opera (nice Romans finish last). Cohen brought a purity of tone, wide dynamic range and affecting depth of expression to Ottone’s lament. The accompaniment was too loud in the early going, better matched to Cohen’s sensitive singing in the latter half of the aria.
Lighter in expression yet no less enjoyable was Amanda Forsythe in “Prophetic raptures swell my breast.” The soprano’s light yet agile voice is well suited to the high-flying brilliance of this flashy aria. Forsythe displayed winsome charm, pinpoint accuracy and coloratura flair in this vocal showpiece from the rarely heard oratorio, Joseph and his Brethren.
The inextinguishable Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon spelled the singers in between selections in worthy fashion. Then it was back to tragedy for the first of two duets.
At the conclusion of Theodora, the Christian title woman and her converted Roman lover Didymus are sentenced to death for their religion. Forsythe and Cohen proved simpatico partners in the oratorio’s finale, “To thee, thou glorious son of worth.” Their voices blended fluently in this farewell-to-life duet with notably rapt rendering of the final stanza. (Kraemer will lead a complete performance of Theodora with Music of the Baroque in March.)
“Let’s imitate her notes above” from Alexander’s Feast ended the first half on an upbeat note with Forsythe and Cohen a charming duo in their rapid exchanges of lines in this ode to harmony and love.
Having recently voted to approve a new four-year contract (with 3% annual raises), the Chicago Symphony Chorus made their first appearance of the season in the second half.
Four-minute valedictory works for chorus are not easy to program, and Beethoven’s Elegy has not been heard at Orchestra Hall in 30 years. Written to honor the deceased wife of a friend, the Elegy is one of Beethoven’s lesser-known small gems, breathing an expression of warm, glowing consolation.
Unfortunately, the Elegy was the one clinker of the evening. While the chorus sang with refined tone, the performance was undone by hissing sibilants, which guest choral director Benjamin Rivera should have fixed in rehearsal. Kraemer’s fitfully fussy direction didn’t help.
Mozart’s “Coronation” Mass fared better, ending the evening on an uplifting note.
One could hardly get further removed from the somber drama of Mozart’s Requiem to the composer’s Mass in C major, K. 317. The concise work is bursting with vitality and even the reflective passages have a glowing lyrical serenity.
In this mass setting, the soprano is first among equals in the vocal quartet and Forsythe was just as accomplished here as in the Handel first half. She sang with especially communicative expression in the concluding Agnus Dei (where the solo feels like an echo of the Countess’s “Dove sono” in Le nozze di Figaro).
Countertenor Cohen was again a worthy partner for Forsythe in their duetted moments. Tenor Josh Lovell and bass-baritone Michael Sumuel had less to do but tackled the assignments with aplomb, blending effectively with their colleagues
At times, tempos didn’t seem completely worked out and one wanted more verve and unbridled exhilaration—some of the brilliant choral passages felt merely jaunty rather than thrilling. Yet for the most part, Kraemer led an effective performance that conveyed the spiritual joy of Mozart’s setting. With associate concertmaster Stephanie Jeong in the first chair, the CSO violins brought whirling bravura to Mozart’s virtuosic string writing.
The CSO Chorus sang impressively in the mass, polished and full voiced across all sections and well balanced under Rivera’s direction.
The program will be repeated 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. cso.org
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