Clad
in black shirt and trousers, with an enormous grin on his face, NicholasMcGegan bounces onto the stage. Instantly, audience and orchestra alike sit a
little straighter in their chairs in anticipation of the magic to come. And
magic it is, with Nic like a conjuror on his podium, waving his arms like wands as he coaxes and exhorts his players to greater heights, seemingly in
touch with each individual instrument, from giant bass to tiny piccolo. His
energy never wavers, nor does his joy in his work, and he infects the entire
concert hall with delight.
Nicholas McGegan working his magic
Such
is the scene at every concert of the San Francisco Philarmonia Baroque Orchestra, and this world-renowned British conductor casts the same spell with every orchestra he stands
before, from the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra to the New York Philharmonic and
the Northern Sinfonia. He first came to my notice when my parents saw him
conduct the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in the UK in spring 2013, and
were captivated by his irrepressible cheerfulness. An Englishman by birth and educated at Cambridge and Oxford, Nicholas McGegan was awarded the OBE in 2010 and has won acclaim around the world for a career that has included 20 years as Artistic Director of the International Handel Festival in Goettingen and performances with most of the world's principal orchestras. I could go on! His reputation, and my parents' recommendation, meant that attending a Philharmonia
concert was on my San Francisco bucket list before I even arrived, so I am
thrilled to have been able to see two of the highlights of the 2013/2014
season.
Philharmonia treats
First
was an evening of C. P. E. Bach and Haydn. The highlight was Bach’s
Concerto for Fortepiano and Harpischord in E-flat, with the soloist of the
earlier B-minor Keyboard Concerto, Robert Levin, being joined by his elegant
wife, Ya-Fei Chuang. It was playful and lively, with delightful exchanges
between the two keyboard instruments complemented by sensitive playing by the
orchestra. Some concerts just make you smile, and this was no exception. The
second evening was more dramatic, and involved the Philarmonia Chorale alongside
the orchestra in Vivaldi’s spectacular Juditha Triumphans. On a glorious April
evening, concertgoers gathered at the noble First Congregational Church in Berkeley
for a performance that encompassed vanity, lust, love, murder and, of course,
triumph. The action begins with the Assyrian general Holofernes rejoicing over
his great victory, before Judith of Bethulia enters to, apparently, beg him to
deal mercifully with her people. Giving way to his lust for her, Holofernes
declares his love, eventually relaxing his guard enough to drink his fill and collapse in
a stupor, allowing Judith to strike off his head with his own sword and with it win victory for the Bethulians. Caravaggio’s painting of the murder, Judith Beheading Holofernes, adorned the
programme, its intense chiaroscuro and muscular figures, the blood of the general
echoed by scarlet drapery, forming the perfect match for the power of the
music. It was stirring stuff, especially when the chorus reached the climax in
praise of ‘fair and invincible Juditha… the glorious model of true virtue’.
The Philharmonia Chorale in fine voice
Remarkably,
this first Philharmonia oratorio featured an all-female cast of soloists, among
whom mezzo-soprano Diana Moore stood out as Holofernes. A glance at the
programme revealed her to be an Englishwoman, born in Suffolk, whose career has included
engagements with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. As such, she is the perfect complement to
Nicholas McGegan, her fellow countryman, and they were superbly supported by soloists from America, the Netherlands and Canada. It is a sign of how small and
inclusive our world has become that we should have been sitting in California
listening to an Italian Baroque oratorio performed by musicians from all over
the world. A triumph indeed.
The instruments themselves are as
worthy of praise as the people who play them
No
less remarkable is the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra itself. Founded by early
music pioneer Laurette Goldberg in 1981, the orchestra has won international
acclaim under the directorship of Nicholas McGegan. In 2005, the Philharmonia performed
at the BBC Proms and at Snape Maltings in Suffolk, and it was named Ensemble of
the Year by Musical America in 2004.
In 2011, it launched its own recording label, Philharmonia Baroque Productions,
and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance. But it is not
only for its musical accomplishment that this orchestra is remarkable. Each
instrument is historically accurate, being either a genuine antique or a replica
of one, and the dates of some are astonishing. Among the violins was one made by Andrea Guarneri of Cremona in 1660 and another created by Richard Duke
of London in 1762. One of the ’cellos was made in northern Italy in 1680, a
viola da gamba was made by Louis Guersan in Paris in 1754 and a viola was
crafted by William Old in Falmouth, England, in 1895. Replicas include a
trumpet after one dating from 1746 and an oboe after one made by T. Stanesby in
England in about 1700. Two instruments were notable for their rarity: the chalumeau,
a type of clarinet, and the theorbo, a kind of lute. The double bass, played by
principal bassist Kristin Zoernig, has a particularly fascinating story – since
being made by Joseph Wrent of Rotterdam, Holland, in 1648, it journeyed to
America and was owned by a close friend of Abraham Lincoln in the mid 1800s. He
played in the Ford Theater Orchestra, which means the very double bass now
playing in San Francisco probably witnessed not only many of Lincoln’s
speeches, but also his assassination. How extraordinary to think of all the
threads of history and international travel brought together by this one
orchestra!
Nicholas McGegan and the San Francisco Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
at the SF Jazz Center
Photo credits: Suzanne Karp Photography and Jeff Phillips
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