ABS Countertenor Ian Howell

AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS CAPTIVATE MARIN AUDIENCE

St. Stephens Church in Belvedere was again the location April 3 for a superb American Bach Soloists concert of masterpieces in the Italian manner, featuring soprano Mary Wilson and countertenor Ian Howell. Wilson and Howell, singing soprano and alto parts, were perfectly matched, the arias soaring, and were among the finest singers this reviewer has heard. The evening opened with Pergolesi’s incomparable “Stabat Mater”, its twelve short solo and duet arias giving both singers the opportunity to demonstrate the beauty and virtuosity of their voices. The first aria began with the soprano rising in an achingly painful theme, the countertenor then entering, creating rich dissonances that finally resolved. The text was “The grieving Mother stood weeping beside the cross where her Son was hanging.” Some arias were piercingly sad, the slow melodies intertwining, and others included elaborate coloratura passages which the singers negotiated with the great ease. Intonation among voices and instruments was flawless, the instrumentation consisting of one to a part – two violins, viola, cello, contra bass, and chamber organ.

Howell, First Prize winner in 2006 American Bach Soloists’ International Solo Competition, has a clear countertenor and harmonized exquisitely with Wilson’s soprano at every turn of phrase, including impressive high notes. At other times he descended effortlessly into the low alto range.

Other vocal works on the program were four duets by Handel, a German composer whose supreme mastery of Italian opera laid the foundation of opera seria (as distinguished from opera buffa) in Italy. His four years spent in Italy while in his twenties, before moving to England, were obviously seminal to his later art. Resolutely secular, these duets were songs of love from Handel operas. In the luminous “Caro Bella! Piu amabile beltà” (My love, my fair one”) from Giulio Cesare, Cleopatra sings “Caro!” and Cesare answers “Bella!”, each time the words becoming more richly ornamented, a competition between the two lovers.

Two instrumental works completed the program – Domenico Gallo’s Sonata No. 1 in G Major, and Arcangelo Corelli’s Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 1, in D major. The Gallo sonata has often been attributed to Pergolesi, and in fact is probably one of “Pergolesi’s” best known works (who ever heard of Gallo?). Violinists Elizabeth Blumenstock and Janet Straus, standing as they played, literally “danced” their way through the work, swaying to the music. The Corelli Concerto Grosso is also one of his most familiar concertos, with sparkling strings. Special mention must be made of cellist William Skeen and contra bassist Steve Lehning, whose solid, perfectly modulated continuo created the necessary underpinning for all of the works heard during a wonderful evening of music.