The Complete Motets of J.S Bach. Adelaide Festival. Adelaide Chamber Singers. St Peter’s Cathedral. 3 Mar 2014 (Program 1) 5 Mar 2014 (Program 2)
When eminent biologist and author Lewis Thomas was once asked what message he would choose to send from Earth into outer space in the Voyager spacecraft to best represent humanity, he answered, "I would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach." After a pause, he added, "But that would be boasting."
Bach is a stellar figure in the annals of human music making, and rightly so, and the Motets (BWV 225 – 230) are stellar examples of his almost unmatched genius. The Motets are comparatively long choral pieces based on sacred texts and sung in German. They are musically inventive and interesting. Above everything else they are immensely soothing and satisfying to listen to – almost hypnotic – and the experience only gets better and more awe-inspiring with each listening experience. Not knowing German is not an impediment to enjoying them; it is probably an advantage.
They are immensely difficult to sing (so I’m told) and clearly require all members of the ensemble to be expert vocalists in their own right and sensitive to the text. Carl Crossin, Artistic Director of the world acclaimed Adelaide Chamber Singers, has trained his choir well and chose to perform the six Motets over two evenings in Adelaide’s beautiful St Peter’s Cathedral, rather than place unreasonable vocal demands on the choristers by performing all six at once. Collectively the Motets deeply explore the possibilities afforded by fugal and canon forms, as well as double-choir.
The Chamber Singers were accompanied by Hilary Kleinig (cello), Harley Gray (double bass), and Joshua van Konkelenberg (chamber organ), and the program each night was given additional interest by the inclusion of sections from Bach’s Partita No 2 for solo violin, skilfully played by the very talented Lucinda Moon. The image of a solo violinist in full flight dappled in soft light in the middle of a cathedral church is something quite sublime.
An unexpected highlight for many, on both evenings, was the inclusion of the compositions Immortal Bach Part I & Part II by contemporary (b.1915) Norwegian Composer Knut Nystedt for a cappella choir. They are modelled on Bach’s chorale “Komm, süsser Tod” (“Come, Sweet Death”) and they are reminiscent of the music of contemporary Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. They exhibit simple but masterly chordal progressions that are at times exquisitely discordant. The result is mesmerising and the choir perform them with perfect control and oh-so-much feeling.
St Peter’s was deservedly packed out on both nights, and the Adelaide Festival clearly ‘hit a six’ with this programming.
Kym Clayton
When: Closed
Where: St Peter’s Cathedral
Bookings: Closed
