Soprano Ariadne Lih delivered a brilliant performance of “Esultate, jubilate.”
The Madison Bach Musicians became a Classical-scale chamber orchestra for their April 6-7 concerts, moving beyond the normal Baroque confines to present an all-Mozart program.
Conducted by an energetic Marc Vallon, the musical content, within the framework, was quite diverse. The opener was the Symphony No. 1 (KV 16), which Mozart composed at age 9 during a tour in London. Whatever anticipations it holds of the later Mozart, it is a juvenile imitation of the sinfonias around him by J.C. Bach and Abel. Against that, however, the orchestra played a piece from 1788, three years before Mozart’s death: the dark Adagio and Fugue in C minor (KV 546).
The orchestra then played seven of the 14 sections of the Parisian Ballet, Les petits riens (KV 299b), to which Mozart is known to have contributed. A dancer, Alice Svetic, joined to perform in all but the first of these seven movements, an unnecessary addition, in my opinion.
The vocal soloist, soprano Ariadne Lih, sang two brief songs in which Mozart set French texts, with Trevor Stephenson accompanying on fortepiano. Stephenson then played the fragmentary Fantasie in D minor (KV 385g ). Svetic returned during this performance to dance, which felt like another distraction.
The latter half of the program returned to the symphony, but from a more mature stage: Symphony No. 29 in A (KV 186a). And there was also the motet, “Esultate, jubilate” (KV 158a). This was written for a soprano castrato with whom Mozart had been working. It was cast in the Baroque form (all but extinct by then) of the para-liturgical Latin cantata for solo voice, meant as a vocal display piece. Its wonderful opportunities have made it a recurrent warhorse of today’s female sopranos. The soloist Lih, who was so charming in the French songs, gave a brilliant performance — her clarion, pure and lovely voice encompassing confidently both the lyrical and virtuosic elements of the piece.
The motet was performed, not on either side of the Symphony, but within it, between the third and fourth movements — quite disrupting the flow of the symphony.
The 16-member orchestra played diligently, with the vibrato-less strings giving particular sheen to this repertoire.
