Rocky
River Presbyterian Church
February
23
An exciting excursion into a new repertoire. |
When
you can create atmospherics in a suburban church the size of a barn,
you’re doing something special. When you transport hundreds of
people packed in the pews to a time and culture centuries away,
that’s magical. And great fun, as Apollo’s Fire showed with its
“Sephardic Journey” program this past weekend. The spirit and
sound of the music could have come straight out of a Mideastern
bazaar, mixed with spices ranging from ancient prayer chants to
Italian Baroque.
The
program was the creation of Artistic Director and conductor Jeannette
Sorrell and soprano Nell Snaidas, who has toured the world singing
17th- and 18th-century Spanish music, and specializes in the Sephardic
repertoire. Using the theme of spiritual longing for a homeland as a
departure point, they traced the religious songs and customs the Jews
brought to Spain, the development of romantic and celebratory music
incorporating Spanish sounds, and how it evolved in places like
Turkey and Italy after the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492.
Sephardic soprano. |
Bringing
the music to life required a large group of musicians – 11
instrumentalists (plus Sorrell occasionally on harpsichord), and a
chorus of 15 that included Snaidas and three other soloists. They
struck an exotic atmosphere and thematic keynote with the opening
piece, a Sorrell arrangement of the ages-old chant “Ir me kero,
madre, a Yerushalayim” (I want to go to Jerusalem, mother). The
chorus provided a lush backdrop for baritone Jeffrey Strauss, who
segued neatly to the lighter and brighter “Cuando el Rey Nimrod,”
a Sephardic folk song given spirit and sparkle by the chorus. Three
liturgical chants featured warm, dynamic singing by the male chorus
members, balanced by delicate work on the hammer dulcimer by Tina
Bergmann.
Composer
Salamone Rossi, whose seminal Songs of Solomon brought
traditional Jewish music into the Baroque period, provided the core
of the program. Along with religious works, he wrote pieces like
“Sonata in Dialogo,” which featured sharp, smart exchanges
between violinists Olivier Brault and Julie Andrijeski. A rousing
performance by the chorus put an electric charge in two Songs of
Solomon, drawing
enthusiastic applause.
The
ensemble shifted gears to finish the first half, giving the singers a
chance to show what they could do with love songs. The female members
of the chorus were sweet in “Ah el Novio no quere dinero,” with
elegant support from flutist Christa Patton. And Snaidas was lustrous
in “La Rosa enflorese,” with Andrijeski and Bergmann adding
vibrant colors.
Brault provided tenor Karim Sulayman with an enticing
solo violin introduction to “Adio querida,” which the singer
milked for every bit of emotional pathos inherent in a sad farewell.
After a short instrumental that featured a solo by percussionist Rex
Benincasa, Strauss and Sulayman struck up a lively duet in “A la
Una yo nasci” that blossomed into a boisterous finish by the full group.
Snaidas
opened the second half with a reprise of the thematic “Yerushalayim,”
then Strauss and the male singers served up a determined “Ki
eshmera Shabbat” (If I guard the Sabbath), with Banincasa adding
some drama on percussion. The dark tones of “Shabbat” quickly
brightened with more Songs of Solomon,
highlighted by a radiant, energetic “Hallelujah Ashreish” chorus.
Two
more prayers offered mixed results. Cellist Renè
Schiffer wrote music for the traditional “Adon Alom,” which
sounded choppy and fragmented in a call-and-response between Snaidas
and the chorus. But theorbo player Brian Kay came back with a tasty
solo intro to “Tzur mishelo akhalnu,” which featured strong,
expressive vocals by Strauss and Sulayman, complemented by rolling
percussion from Banincasa.
The
finale was festive, starting with a trio of short Rossi dances that
were squarely in the Baroque tradition, providing a showcase for fine
string work by Brault, Andrijeski and violist Karina Schmitz. The
momentum carried into a duet of folk songs that featured Snaidas and
Sulayman trading lines about doughnut recipes, and the concluding “La
Comida la Manana,” a full-ensemble sing-along with Patton adding
flourishes on a shawm.
It
was a scholarly, imaginative program that only a skillful and
adventuresome ensemble could have pulled off. Apollo’s Fire has
established a reputation as a first-class Baroque group, but this
program – and the capacity audiences it attracted – suggests there
are many other fascinating period repertoires to explore.
For
more on Apollo’s Fire: http://apollosfire.org/
Photos: Apollo's Fire by Daniel Levin; Nell Snaidas by Ron Rinaldi
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