Review Details
ABERDEEN MUSICAL SOCIETY, CONCERT for St. CECILIA
Alan Cooper
21 November 2008
KING’S COLLEGE CHAPEL
In his capacity as Praeses (chairman) of the reconstituted Aberdeen Musical Society, Vice-Principal Christopher Gane welcomed a capacity audience (amazing on such an inclement night) to King’s College Chapel for the third annual Concert for St. Cecilia. He introduced Dr Roger B. Williams who this year had something really special in store for us. Along with some of the University’s own finest string players he had brought us the members of the Edinburgh Quartet ensuring that the three heavyweight pieces in the programme by Corelli, Bach and Handel would deliver a knockout punch – and that they did!
At the centre of the programme was a sequence of rare pieces taken from a collection in Aberdeen University Library and being heard again probably for the first time since the seventeenth century. These included two motets by Alonso Flores de Alcaraz, a Spanish born composer who being of the Protestant persuasion moved to Nimes, which was the safe stronghold of that religion in France. Jacob Arcadelt was a Flemish born composer who also moved to France where he is known as Jacques Arcadelt. The music which we heard by these composers was for choir while the third selection of pieces, this time for keyboard was by that most prolific of composers Anon.
Arcadelt’s setting of a text from Virgil’s Aeneid had its counterpoints and harmonies rendered more transparent by the separation of sopranos and tenors in the chorus from altos and basses to form two choirs. I found the two motets by Alonso Flores de Alcaraz more harmonically colourful however, especially as delivered in rich well-balanced singing and admirably clear diction by Friday’s chamber chorus. The second of these pieces also had the advantage of the Edinburgh Quartet’s impression of a consort of viols.
The six pieces for keyboard by an unknown composer played by Dr Williams on harpsichord were characteristically French in style, their rhythms suggesting earthy rustic dances. I hope we will hear these pieces again made even more piquant by the rich tonal contrasts that the Aubertin organ is so well equipped to provide.
All these pieces were interesting and attractive enough but they came nowhere near the most stunning performance of the evening. This was Bach’s Third Brandenburg Concerto. Music just does not get much better than this. Every section of the ensemble from the two lead violins and viola to the splendidly assertive three cellos and double bass tossed the music to and fro as if it were red hot – and so it was! Roger Williams provided just a moment of respite with a soothing central movement on chamber organ before everyone was off on the glorious chase once again.
By tradition, a piece by Corelli is an essential part of every Aberdeen Musical Society concert and it was the electrifying playing of Tristan Gurney, first violin of the Edinburgh Quartet that set Concerto X11 Op.6 ablaze. The faster movements and the final two dances contrasted nicely with the beautifully balanced ensemble playing of the Adagio.
Handel’s Chandos Anthem No.9 used just the string quartet with chamber organ, double bass and oboe, a splendidly regal sounding backing for rich choral singing. The four soloists provided strongly contrasting vocal timbres each matching the mood of the four individual arias. The whole concert was crowned by the rousing sounds of Handel’s Alleluias – something that this composer was really quite good at.