The London Handel Festival began its “Spring Awakenings” with a triumph. This being Laurence Cummings’ final and twenty-fifth year at the helm as Musical Director, with a sparkling cast of soloists, the scene was set for a celebration and in this performance of Esther, that’s exactly what we got.
Cummings set the tone, launching the overture at a sprightly pace, with a bright, joyful sound from the tight ensemble. As expected, there were some cracking speeds this evening, but there was also tenderness and grace, with deft string work, elegant woodwind and gleaming brass. Oboist James Eastaway deserves special mention for consistently nimble work, skilfully blending with individual voices. Lise Vanersmissen’s dextrous chiming harp brought dulcimer-like colour to “Tune your harps”, and Neil Mclaren and Laura Piras’ flutes, in the pulpit, added gentle grace to Tim Mead’s “O beauteous Queen”. Cummings also showed he could multi-task, turning to deliver the First Israelite’s recitatives from memory before whipping back to his conducting.
Handel went public with a revised version of this privately performed masque in 1732, in response to a pirate performance of the original. As the Bishop of London had forbidden staging of biblical stories, he delivered it in concert form, subsequently following with twenty or so more oratorios. There was plenty of repurposing, with many numbers from previous works including two of the Coronation Anthems, with a little judicious retexting. Nevertheless, whilst the story is a dramatic tale of triumph over adversity and the threat of genocide overcome (with less than comfortable current resonance), it is the dazzling variety of Handel’s music that lifts this work to crowd-pleasing heights.
Nardus Williams’ Esther had powerful presence, delivering her opening virtuosic “Alleluia” from the pulpit with assertive brilliance. She contrasted this beautifully, mournfully blending in dialogue with the oboe in “Tears assist me”. Jess Dandy give us deeply fruity tones as Mordecai, as well as opening up expressively in her upper registers in “So much beauty, sweetly blooming”. Tim Mead’s Ahasuerus had fluid lines and warm sustained long notes in “Endless fame’, contrasting well with Florian Störtz’s angrily dramatic Haman, drawing maximum effect from the consonants in “Pluck root and branch”. Rachel Redmond’s Israelite Woman had a bright, light tone, matching her light, birdlike coloratura beautifully with the violins in “Heav’n has lent her ev’ry charm”.
The London Handel Singers showed their skill throughout, expertly delivering the key dramatic mood shifts. Their two Coronation Anthem set pieces were familiar but delivered with fresh energy and bite, particularly at Cummings’ swift tempi. Yet, despite projecting their fullest sound for “Kings shall be…”, they avoided ever sounding forced or aggressive, and their “God Save the King” to end Part 2 was especially glorious.
There is generally a choice as to whether to perform an oratorio straight or to introduce dramatic interaction between soloists. Here we had a mix, with some eager to interact and others less so. I’d go with the former, and I think Nardus Williams agreed, with most of her part off-book, especially the recitatives, engaging with the drama, which wasn’t always reciprocated. This is, after all, a dramatic story, with conflict, passion and matters of life and death, but most of the soloists were fairly heavily reliant on their copies. Yet this was instantly forgotten when it came to Tim Mead’s Alleluias in the final chorus, which were breathtaking in their virtuosic display. Combined with glorious brass and triumphant choral singing, joined at the very end by all the soloists, they brought the evening to a stupendous finish.
Sobre nuestra calificación