Music of the Baroque Orchestra and Chorus gave an enjoyable, if uneven, performance of Heaven and Earth at Symphony Center on Monday night. With Music Director Dame Jane Glover at the rostrum, the program included two large choral works by two classical titans, Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Joining MOB at the start of their 53rd season were soprano Susanna Phillips, mezzo soprano Paula Murrihy, tenor Miles Mykkanen, and bass-baritone Michael Sumuel. MOB Chorus director is Andrew McGill.
The setting was unusual. Music of the Baroque typically performs at Harris Theater in Millennium Park. Recently the MOB has been partnering with Symphony Center, which is where they performed on Monday. While the sound seems about the same at Symphony Center, the stage’s Baroque background gave the concert a greater feeling of majesty. The program certainly warranted it.
The first part of the program was devoted to sacred music by Bach, Magnificat in D-major, BWV 243. The stage setup was a bit strange, perhaps reflecting the fact that Bach gave more solo passages to the alto and tenor. Murihhy and Mykkanen were at the front of the stage next to Dame Glover, and Phillips and Sumuel were sitting in back with the choir.
There were lots of things to like about this performance. Bach composed this sunny work for services at Leipzig’s Tomaskirche, where he served for many years as musical director. For his congregation’s enjoyment, Bach mixed up the arrangements as the work progressed, using a small subset of instruments with different voices. The players and singers played well off each other.
In the first Aria, the strings and organ joined Murrihy, who sang with gusto in a shimmering blue gown. In another aria, the bassoon, bass, and organ joined bass-baritone Sumuel, who offered a very expressive solo. Especially humorous is the way Bach had the flutes just sort of waft off without resolving the phrase on the word “inanes” (“empty”).
The main problem was the aural balance. The three trumpets overpowered everything. Even when they were resting, however, the balance, while better, was not great. The strings did not have enough oomph. It’s tempting to think there were not enough of them, but the same string players sounded much more robust in the Mozart.
Dame Glover’s bouncy conducting style held everything together, but the musical phrases got a bit ragged and it just didn’t gel. Bach’s sunny mood sounded a bit overcast on Monday night.
Following intermission, Music of the Baroque offered the greatest of all chestnuts, Mozart’s Requiem Mass in d-minor, K.626. This piece is responsible for one of classical music’s great “what ifs”: what would Mozart’s Requiem be like if he had lived long enough to finish it? Those parts that Mozart did complete are nothing short of amazing.
The version MOB performed Monday night was the one completed by Mozart’s student Franz Xavier Süssmayr. Even though his contributions are less compelling and more lightweight than his teacher’s, it is still a wonderful piece of music throughout.
On the whole, Music of the Baroque played a lot better in the Requiem, with Dame Glover displaying complete control over the sound. Endings were crisp, playing was tight. Mozart’s score is unusual in that it has none of the treble woodwinds, instead he used bassoons and basset horns. Nor are there any French horns. Rather, there are three trombones and two trumpets. It all blended nicely to create a very mournful sound. This dark palette came through from the opening notes.
The vocals were very clear and precise. The quartet were great together, and their intonation was perfect. The choir was also very effective and clear. The big tests are the Kyrie and the Confutatis maledictis. The phrases were passed around effortlessly.
The same was true with the violins. There are lots of passages where the strings predominate in backing up the singing. Even though few in number, the violins held their own. I only heard one, small slip of the bow at the end of a phrase.
While not the best performance of Mozart’s Requiem I’ve ever heard, it was still very enjoyable. Kudos to Music of the Baroque.
Music of the Baroque next performs Viva Vivaldi! At the North Shore Center in Skokie on Sunday, October 15, 7:30 pm. It returns to Harris Theater in Millennium Park on Monday, October 16, 7:30 pm. Click here for more details.