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CHORAL AND VOCAL REVIEW

L to R: D. Sampson, E. Blumenstock, R. Worth, W. Skeen and P. Murray June 1

NOBLE BRAHMS REQUIEM PERFORMANCE CLOSES SONOMA BACH'S SEASON

by Pamela Hicks Gailey
Saturday, June 1, 2019

Sonoma Bach, conducted by Robert Worth, presented a truly grand finale to their 2018-19 "Light Out of Darkness" season in two sold out Schroeder Hall performances June 1 and 2. The program "A Human Requiem" was received rapturously with a well-deserved standing ovation for the main work, Brahms' Ein deutches Requiem. Saturday’s evening’s performance is reviewed here.

The Requiem was preceded in a brief first half by five German baroque motets written on some of the same texts Brahms employed in the setting of his Requiem in 1868. The fifty-plus member choir was joined by Sonoma Bach's resident Live Oak Baroque Orchestra (violinist Elizabeth Blumenstock, director) for a impressive evening of music-making.

The reviewer is a recent Bay Area transplant, so this was my first experience with Sonoma Bach and Schroeder Hall, and I was not disappointed. It is a charming venue, and Sonoma Bach a formidable group. My seat (so comfortable) was in the center of the back section and the acoustics from where I sat were wonderful and balanced. Other attendees sitting to the hall’s far sides and close to the stage however complained of some balance issues with the chorus.

Mr. Worth devoted the first part of the performance to a set of five 17th century German motets for orchestra and chorus by five different composers: Thomas Selle, Tobias Michael, Heinrich Schwemmer, Andreas Hammerschmidt, and the great Heinrich Schütz. The Schwemmer was notable for some uncertain entrances by the choir and an overall lack of crispness compared to the other pieces, and the Schütz stood out as the most powerful. Although all are wonderful works with an interesting musicological connection to the Requiem, and were certainly well-performed, they seemed unnecessary to fill out this program. Even at only 70 minutes, Brahms doesn't need a curtain warmer. It's such a special piece that I wouldn't have felt cheated by letting the performance be just a beautiful evening with a beloved old friend you don't get to see very often.


After intermission the range and vocal scope of the Requiem cannot be underestimated. Although not as operatic as Verdi's Requiem or as vocally punishing as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, it is still a huge sing. The individual sections (even the oft-neglected altos) are given gorgeous and exposed phrases, particularly in the 7th movement, making section blend an even more critical element. The contrapuntal sections are tricky with entrances coming in odd places, and plenty of opportunities for singer error. This group, however, nailed everything with ample evidence of solid preparation. I heard confident entrances, clear diction (for this German speaker), consistent blend and laudable stamina. The tenors prevailed successfully with an impressive tone most of the time, given the high tessitura of their part. The altos and basses were rich and full-voiced throughout. The sopranos floated into the stratosphere with a lovely quality, if occasionally a tiny sag in pitch. The chorus has a well-blended, uniform sound overall, even at double forte.

Of particular interest in this program was the 20-member chamber orchestra's rendering of a recent (2011) reduced orchestral arrangement of the Requiem prepared by Joachim Linckelmann. Though I missed the important emotional color of the harp in some key moments, the reduction otherwise worked splendidly in the intimate Schroeder setting. There was exceptional blend, ensemble, and nuance from the strings, and the oboe, horn and timpani solos came through poignantly. I was impressed at how full the overall sound was.

The soloists, Danielle Sampson and Paul Murray, were both of very high caliber. Ms. Sampson's clear and lovely soprano soared effortlessly through the long phrases of the 5th movement "Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit" ("Now you have sorrow") with warm, sympathetic expression. Mr. Murray, with his attractive (if not thunderous) bass-baritone, gave an appealing, technically solid and dramatically intense performance of the sermon-like solos contained in the third and sixth movements: "Herr, lehre doch mich" ("Lord, teach me") and "Siehe, ich sage euch ein Geheimnis" ("Behold, I tell you a mystery"). Both soloists joined the chorus for the final
movement-a nice decision to include them.


Mr. Worth is a passionate and inspirational scholar and conductor, and his framing of the concert in a theme of "light" is what people love about Sonoma County, and you could feel it in the audience. His conducting was bright, energetic, and rhythmically very disciplined, though at times his excitement gave way to a driven quality. His tempos were surprisingly fast at the Saturday performance, particularly in the first four movements, at odds with Brahms' own markings. More introspection, tenderness (and light!) could have been accomplished by slowing down a little and letting the music exhale, giving more space at points of repose or transition, allowing the pauses and extended ritards to happen, and Brahms' own rhythmic flexibility to have its way. That said, this was a very clean, tight and admirably cohesive performance. He indeed made the light shine out of darkness through this very "human" requiem.