Glover leads MOB in a stylish and sensitive “Christmas Oratorio”
It’s beginning to look a lot like . . . well, Thanksgiving.
While it may be a bit early yet for Yuletide programs, the rare opportunity to hear Bach’s Christmas Oratorio must be seized regardless of the calendar. And the stylish and idiomatic performance by Music of the Baroque, led by Dame Jane Glover Monday night at Symphony Center, provided a nearly ideal rendering of this rich and fascinating work.
Bach’s sprawling oratorio is a collection of six separate cantatas, each written to be performed on specific feast days from Christmas to Epiphany (Jan. 6). Bach famously drew upon some previous secular works of his for much of the oratorio’s raw material yet the retooled music pairs seamlessly with the new Nativity text. As in his Passions, a narrator relates the progress of the Christmas scenario while the four soloists and chorus comment and amplify on the greater spiritual import for the congregation/audience.
The music is not quite as celebrated nor as dramatic as that in Bach’s Passions and the Mass in B minor. Yet there is no sense of ennui or boredom due to the expressive depths and presentational variety of Bach’s musical invention. Throughout festive and joyful moments are balanced skillfully with the inward and ruminative.
At nearly three hours (with one intermission), the Christmas Oratorio can be a haul, even for Bach fans and Baroque aficionados. But each of the six cantatas seemed to fly by Monday night as one wondered anew at the beauty and imagination of Bach’s music.
The Christmas Oratorio has long been a Glover party piece with previous MOB performances in 2010, 2014 and 2018. With masterful pacing, MOB’s music director kept things moving with fleet tempos that never seemed rushed; recitatives led naturally into the slower arias and back again with ease and a sense of inevitability.
Glover’s balancing was equally skillful throughout the oratorio’s 64 individual movements—trumpets rang out brilliantly in the festive chorales while obbligato instrumentalists discreetly yet expressively supported the soloists in their arias. The conductor’s only misstep was having the four soloists sing along with the chorus in the final chorale, a bit of anachronistic theatricality that slightly cheapened the closing moments.
The performance benefited from a fine quartet of soloists.
Gwilym Bowen proved ideal casting, his high, flexible tenor well suited to the narrative role of the Evangelist. Bowen’s clear enunciation and piping tone kept the performance on track and he securely handled the challenges of the rapid-fire “Frohe Hirten, eilt” as well as the daunting coloratura of “Ich will nur dir zu Ehren leben.” Though tiring a bit at the end of the long evening, Bowen managed to bring fire and intensity to the oratorio’s final aria, “Nun mögt ihr stolzen Feinde schrecken.”
Michael Sumuel anchored the low end superbly with his authoritative and well-focused bass-baritone, and contrasted winningly with soprano Yulia van Doren in their duets. Van Doren had fewer opportunities than her colleagues but sang with bright tone and agility throughout. She nicely conveyed the offbeat charm of the echo aria (“Flößt, mein Heiland, flößt dein Namen”).
At times in the first half, Emily Fons’ light mezzo-soprano faded away at lower dynamics and one wanted greater projection. That apart, the gifted singer brought sensitive expression to the lullaby “Schlafe, mein Liebster” and provided affecting depth of feeling in “Schließe, mein Herze.”
Well prepared by Andrew Megill, the MOB chorus sang with characteristic polish and well-blended expression.
The orchestra was equally responsive Monday night delivering lively playing in the joyful moments and glowing eloquence in the pastoral arias. Harpsichordist Mark Shuldiner and organist Michael Beattie were stellar throughout, and the numerous obbligato solos were sensitively assayed by concertmaster Gina DiBello, flutist Mary Stolper, and oboist Anne Bach. Even by her usual standard, Barbara Butler delivered spectacular solos in the stratospheric trumpet parts of the rejoicing chorales.
Andrew Megill leads Music of the Baroque’s Brass and Choral program 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19 at Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20 at St. Michael’s Church; 2 p.m. Dec. 21 at Faith, Hope, & Charity Church in Winnetka; and 2 p.m. Dec. 22 at Alice Millar Chapel in Evanston. baroque.org
Posted in Performances
2 Responses to “Glover leads MOB in a stylish and sensitive “Christmas Oratorio””
Leave a Comment
Subscribe via RSS.
Posted Nov 26, 2024 at 5:13 pm by Charles Rhy
The biggest disappointment for me continues to be the chorus. Chicago choruses, particularly Music of the Baroque used to be known for glorious full throated singing. There was what was referred by some to as the “Chicago sound”. Now the group has been led down the path I refer to as the “British boy choir sound “ undoubtedly endorsed by the current conductor being raised in the that tradition and sound, even with women rather than boys employed here. There is no real glow around the sound most notably at the top. I wanted to scream, please sing out everyone. Also the lack of some type of rhythmic intensity . A little lean on the downbeat. Moving the music forward. Giving it a heartbeat.
I must say the standard of the orchestra is as high as ever. The concert mistress, Gina DiBello is great, as is the principal oboe Anne Bach and the trumpet section headed by the marvelous long lasting Barbara Butler. The tenor soloist Gwilym Bowen sang magnificently. The intricate passagework of the arias Bach wrote held no terrors for him. Also bass-baritone showed a beautiful voice of substance. No wonder he is at the Metropolitan Opera.
So all in all, sadly I came away unsatisfied with the outcome. All rather restrained. I prefer real passion, which starts with the conductor.
Posted Nov 26, 2024 at 6:17 pm by jcollord
I thought the performance was spectacular, and this review captures its many strengths very well. Gwilym Bowen is a miracle, but all of the soloists were strong. Maybe because of where I was sitting, rather forward and on the side where she was, I thought Emily Fons was marvelous and did not detect any fading. I would also highlight the way Michael Sumuel could thunder as a bass one moment, then lighten his voice to a baritone for the duet with Ms. van Doren.