Tír Na HiFi

On the old forum I informed people of the Bach Cantata season that is being held in St. Ann’s Church in Dawson St. and I just want to bring it to your attention again.

This afternoon I had the pleasure of attending the performance of four JSB Cantatas there and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The Orchestra of St. Cecilia, numbering about 18 musicians, play very well and the choral and solo parts were also of a high standard. The surroundings are also very appropriate for the occasion.

So, for around the price of a cd, one gets great music which is very well played and sung in a somewhat different surrounding. One could do far worse than spend a couple of hours there on a cold Sunday afternoon. I should also add that this is the final season for the event as it has been running for ten years now (gosh, I remember attending when it first started) so it will also be your last chance to support them. The link to the event is....

http://www.orchestrastcecilia.ie/bach-2010.html

....so, go and enjoy!!

I was there last Sunday, Fergus, though otherwise occupied today. It was pretty enjoyable: Lynda Lee, the soprano soloist was in excellent form, though I feel the tenor, John Elwes, does not make a very pleasant sound. Benjamin Britten wrote music for him when he was a boy soprano and he was a tenor on lots of early music records in the 70s, so he is a very eminent singer, but sadly, voices don't usually age well.

I should also point out to those who (God forbid) may not be interested in the Cantatas but may want to hear non-vocal music, that, on Sunday 21st February, there is a performance of The Musical Offering with the eminent Malcolm Proud on harpsichord and the also very eminent Maya Homburger on violin, amogst others.

That should be wonderful! Straight into my diary!

Ciaran wrote:That should be wonderful! Straight into my diary!

I hope that I can get to that one myself.

I was at the very last of concert of the last season the Bach Cantata series yesterday: all of Bach's extant church cantatas have now been performed in Dublin. It's an honour which very few cities in the world can claim!

Unfortunately the quality of the performances has been very variable and while the second-last concert on 28 February (with Cork choir Canticoum Novum conducted by Geoffrey Spratt) was one of the best I have attended, yesterday's, in common with any conducted by Blanaid Murphy, manifested several kinds of dodginess. To be fair there were some lovely moments as well: the oboe playing of Matthew Manning and two lovely duets for the solo singers.

The organiser of the series, Lindsay Armstrong, is thinking about what to do next year, and I gather that it's likely that they'll perform Bach's secular cantatas and some of his other choral works like the Magnificat and the Lutheran masses.

Hopefully they will keep the momentum going for another while yet.