2008- 2009 Season

COLUMN
Maine Music Society does Bach proud

By CHRISTOPHER HYDE
September 30, 2008

It's been a while since I attended a concert of the Maine Music Society under music director John Corrie. If the performance of the Bach Brandenburg Concertos at the Franco-American Heritage Center on Saturday is any indication, the chamber orchestra has become one of the jewels in Maine's classical music crown.

Concertmaster Dean Stein, formerly of the DaPonte String Quartet, has aided in the transformation. All of the musicians, however, were outstanding, solo or as members of the chamber orchestra.

Each of the innovative concertos, except for No. 1, which was omitted because of time constraints, was well thought-out and executed, but Corrie saved the most spectacular, No. 2 for trumpet and No. 5 for harpsichord, for last. Technically both soloists are members of a concertino of three instruments, but the other two are mainly along for the ride.

In every recorded performance that I have heard of the Concerto No. 2 in F Major (BWV 1047), the trumpet part is labored and full of wrong notes, as if the score were so difficult and so high-pitched that it was an accomplishment merely to get through it. The playing of Trent Austin, a noted jazz trumpeter from Boston, came as a revelation. So that was what Bach intended! Fluent, pitch-perfect and sweet, while still managing to blend in with the ensemble. It was one of the few recent performances that really deserved its standing ovation. The oboe part was also very well rendered by Kathleen McNerney.

Corrie's harpsichord playing in the Concerto No. 5 in D Major (BWV 1050) was almost as impressive, but in a more intimate way. One could wish that the society had a larger instrument – harpsichord volume is independent of the performer – but the unaccompanied parts amply repaid close listening. It seemed, in the new auditorium of the Franco-American Heritage Center at least, that once the harpsichord had distinguished itself in these virtuoso passages, it was easier to hear among the rest of the orchestra.

The program began with the Concerto No. 3 in G Major (BWV 1048), which lacks both a concertino and a slow movement (well, two measures) but is nevertheless delightful, followed by No. 6 in B-flat Major (BWV 1051), which has no violin part. The latter, which is written entirely for viola, viola de gamba (now played by the cello) and continuo, was the least successful of the group, seeming to lack a rhythmical center in the first few measures.

The first half of the program concluded with one of my favorites, Concerto No. 4 in G Major (BWV 1049), with a concertino of violin, played by Stein, and two flutes (formerly recorders) played by Krysia Tripp and Nicole Rabata. The brilliantly light-hearted work concludes with one of Bach's signature fugues, showing that this academic form can also be quite cheerful.

Will Hertz's fine program notes include an embarrassingly servile dedication of the concertos to the Margrave of Brandenburg, who never responded. Fortunately, Bach didn't really mean it anyway, since the concertos seem to have been re-writes of previously performed material.

Christopher Hyde's Classical Beat column appears in the Maine Sunday Telegram. He can be reached at: classbeat@netscape.net

Copyright © 2008 Blethen Maine Newspapers

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"Had a great time at the FAHC on Saturday evening. Wow! What a fabulous job the refitting of St. Mary's is! I was absolutely stunned at the magnificent auditorium that has been created. And, the music, oh my God, the music. Absolutely exquisite! Maybe due in part to the acoustical excellence of the hall, but the playing was nearly flawless, the dynamics and musicianship were breathtaking. I can honestly say that I haven't heard the Bach Brandenburg's played with this much sensitivity and creative aplomb in decades. You have a genuine gem with this hall as the home of your program and the Maine Music Society . Kudos to all involved."
     — Roland

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