Bach: Brandenburg Concertos; Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; Queen Elizbeth Corridor
Reviewed 13 November 2024
The Brandenburg Concertos full, vivid, vibrant and generally just a little uncooked, the sheer power, enthusiasm and technical nous actually carrying you away
Bach nearly actually by no means supposed his Brandenburg Concertos to be carried out en masse, all six directly. Actually, we’ve no document in any respect of any performances of the concertos on this type throughout Bach’s lifetime, his presentation manuscript (see illustration above) for Six Live shows Avec plusieurs devices merely sat within the Margrave of Brandenburg’s library; so, not less than somebody regarded the work properly sufficient to take care of it.
In spite of everything, the assorted completely different line ups for the concertos make this quite an extravagant gesture. We do not actually know why this explicit set of concertos with these explicit scorings, and there stay loads of questions in regards to the items. However in the fitting performances the music lifts vividly off the web page.
This was ample demonstrated by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment‘s (OAE) performances of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos on the Southbank Centre‘s Queen Elizabeth Corridor on 13 November 2024. The 21 musicians carried out one to half, with out a conductor with violinists Huw Daniel, Margaret Faultess and Rodolfo Richter sharing the directing, with violist Oliver Wilson directing the sixth concerto.
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| Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 – Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Queen Elizabeth Corridor |
The Brandenburg Concertos have performed an vital function within the OAE’s life, ever for the reason that ensemble’s founding (they have fun 40 years in 2026) and one of many gamers was truly round for the ensemble’s very first efficiency of the music!
For the night’s live performance, the concertos have been organized in non-numerical order, creating a pleasant stability of solo devices. We started with first concerto, which options the horns, then the third, strings solely, then the fifth, with flute, violin and harpsichord. After the interval it was extra wind, with the fourth, with two recorders and violin, then strings once more with the sixth concerto with its violas, cello and violas da gamba, then we lastly returned to brass with the second concerto with its excessive trumpet half.
The opening motion of the primary concerto is nearly all in regards to the horns (Ursula Paludan Monberg and Martin Lawrence). How might it not be, with the bells upturned, but all involved performed with such extraordinary power that basically drew consideration away from the horns. Generally. It was a vivid and thrilling expertise. The second motion gave the horn gamers a well-earned relaxation and right here no-one was to the fore, as an alternative there was a delicate interaction between teams over a throbbing texture. For the third motion, the vigorous horns have been again with all involved giving the music a joyous bounce. The ultimate motion is a minuet with a number of trios, one in every of which is a Polacca, so we had sturdy dance contrasting with extra sleek interludes and I notably loved the Polacca, however extraordinary vigour returned on the finish. Priceless.
The third concerto is the one I do know greatest as a result of I’ve truly performed it (third viola in case you are questioning). The primary motion was all infectious power and individualism, every line having its personal character, this was actual chamber music and I liked the best way the curiosity handed from participant to participant. For the mysterious second motion we received Margaret Faultless (violin) and Steven Devine (harpsichord) in one other motion by Bach which ended with the 2 chords from the Brandenburg Concerto. The third motion was quick paced and vivid with tight rhythms and simmering power.
Subsequent got here the fifth concerto, the place flute (Lisa Beznosiuk), violin (Margaret Faultless) and harpsichord (Steven Devine) appear to start with a type of trio sonata sort concerto. It was taken at fairly a lick with partaking power, however then we’ve the astonishing harpsichord cadenza, with Steven Devine on thrilling type, fully destabilising issues. The second motion returned us to the sleek trio sonata, an actual one this time, earlier than the joyful dance to finish it.
After the interval, it was the flip of the recorders (Rachel Beckett and Catherine Latham) and violin (Huw Daniel) within the fourth concerto. Right here we had a stunning distinction between the vivid string rhythms and the liquid tone of the 2 recorders; all through Rachel Beckett and Catherine Latham created a stunning sense of unified recorder tone. The second motion was about contrasts, and I liked the sound high quality they achieved within the passages with out a bass line, simply violin and recorders. Then the keenness and pleasure within the last motion was positively contagious.
The sixth concerto returned us to strings, however in an intriguingly completely different line up. Two solo violas (Oliver Wilson and Elitsa Bogdanova) over violas da gamba (Richard Tunnicliffe, Kate Conway), cello (Andreew Skidmore) and bass (Cecelia Brugggemeyer), a bit of full sonic magic. The function of cello and gambas was merely to throb, while the 2 violas created a busy, heat sound and I liked how the 2 gamers, appeared to relish the bouncing of concepts between them. The second motion was pure trio sonata, the violas elegant, elaborate and plangent, while the ultimate motion was infectious enjoyable.
We ended as we had began, with the brass within the second concerto. This time David Blackadder had the duty of enjoying the excessive trumpet half (it needs to be excessive to ensure that him to have the ability to have a variety of notes, no valves and no hand-stopping accessible right here). Blackadder was sensible, producing a transparent, elegant sound that balanced splendidly with oboe (Clara Espinosa Encinas), recorder (Rachel Beckett) and violin (Rodolfo Richter). The gradual motion gave Blackadder a relaxation as the opposite three gracefully wound strains round one another, then the trumpet returned, actually which means enterprise in a finale filled with impetus.
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| Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 – Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Queen Elizabeth Corridor |
The entire night sped by, partly as a result of each motion, each observe was invested with a way of infectious enthusiasm and clear possession. This wasn’t an over-blended orchestral sound, it was vivid, vibrant and generally just a little uncooked, the sheer power, enthusiasm and technical nous actually carrying you away.
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