Saturday, January 24 was a mild, mostly sunny day in San Luis Obispo. It felt to me like a great time to spend an hour or so listening to Baroque choral music.
Happily, the final performances of the Cal Poly music department’s annual Bach Week were scheduled for both that afternoon and evening; I opted to attend the afternoon rendition.
The finale’s theme was “Oratorio,” featuring a sacred type of composition that grew out of a prohibition of theatrical spectacle during Lent by the Catholic Church in the early 17th century. Composers and singers could still display their talents—but in a church setting without special costumes, acting or other visual accoutrements present in opera.
Performing in the sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church of San Luis Obispo definitely gave an air of authenticity to the Cal Poly concert.
Shanks’s clear, exquisitely lilting voice against the immaculate intonation and blend of the choir and sensitive direction from Glysson was quite moving.”
It began with a hauntingly beautiful execution of the last movement of Giacomo Carissimi’s oratorio, “Historia di Jephte” (The Story of Jephthe), “Plorate filii Israel” (Weep, Children of Israel).
Cal Poly choir director Scott Glysson arranged the university’s Chamber Choir in an antiphonal pattern against the walls on either side of the nave, and placed soprano Amethyst Shanks (a sophomore majoring in music) as a soloist in front of the chancel. Shanks’s clear, exquisitely lilting voice against the immaculate intonation and blend of the choir and sensitive direction from Glysson was quite moving. One did not have to understand the Latin text to feel the pathos. It should also be noted that the performance was sung a capella from memory. Bravo!
A complete 180-degree turn in mood was created in the ensuing work, exemplified by the opening chorus from Part 1 of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Weihnachtsoratorium“ (Christmas Oratorio), “Jauchzet, frohlocket!“ (Celebrate, Rejoice!).
Cal Poly symphony director David Arrivée led the university’s Bach Orchestra and Choir in a joy-filled performance of the complete Part I of the oratorio, which calls for SATB chorus with three soloists.
The orchestra exhibited a solid mastery of the genre with exceptional rhythmic and timbral continuity. Paul Sherman‘s and Jessica Hoffman‘s oboes d’amore and Christopher Woodruff‘s piccolo trumpet added period musical spice for the listener.
The whole effect reflected a close aesthetic rapport between Arivée and the ensemble. Beautiful!”
The solo vocal artistry of mezzo-soprano Lauren Webb, tenor Michael Jones, and baritone Harrison Hintzsche lent rich color combined with clear diction and stylistic sensitivity to the audience’s ears. The choir—a mix of students, faculty/staff, alumni, and professionals—exhibited a mastery of ensemble singing with tight rhythmic adhesion and consistent articulation, intonation and blend.
The whole effect reflected a close aesthetic rapport between Arivée and the ensemble. Beautiful!
Pathos . . . joy . . . last comes drama. Glysson returned to the podium to lead the choir and orchestra in Part I of George Frideric Händel’s masterwork of word painting, his oratorio “Israel in Egypt,” musically depicting the Israelite exodus from Egyptian slavery, complete with the numerous plagues God brought upon the Egyptian people.
Although both master composers were born in Saxony in 1685, Händel relocated to London where he spent the last two-thirds of his life. His approach to writing oratorios differed from that of Bach, whose oratorios adhered more closely to the rules of Lutheran hymnody.
Händel was more adventurous, especially in the use of word painting—writing music that would try to convey sounds suggested by the words being sung. He used this technique to great effect in “Israel in Egypt.” For example, the mezzo-soprano aria “Their land brought forth frogs” uses rhythms and leaps in the melody and orchestral accompaniment to sonically imitate the jumping of such critters.
Once again, chorus, soloists (mezzo-soprano Kimber Draughon, a senior majoring in both music and journalism, and tenor Michael Jones), orchestra and conductor melded to create another memorable performance. Thank you, one and all!