Oeuvre: Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats- Cantate, BWV42

Selbst wenn bei diesem Marathon stimmlich nicht immer alles perfekt lief, überzeugte doch in hohem Maße die – wie die Botschaft die Jünger – generelle Umsetzung dieses Zyklus mit hochkarätigen Erscheinungen.

Music written by Bach for the Collegium Musicum, and also for the first Sunday after Easter, was played with skill and flourish by this exceptional orchestra;  sadly, the singing was not consistently good enough to match. 

How do you like your Baroque? Extreme – all gut strings and not a chin-rest in sight? Or mid-twentieth century – molto vibrato with saxophone obbligato? There is, of course, a half way house, and in last night’s packed Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh, the SCO steered firmly towards it, producing several agreeable surprises along the way.