Review: Bach Musica at Holy Trinity Cathedral

Over the years, Bach Musica has nurtured a loyal and appreciative audience. Musical director Rita Paczian holds the philosophy that Aucklanders should have access to a range of orchestral and choral music at relatively modest cost and this she achieves.

Sunday's concert demonstrated how far Paczian can venture from the Baroque repertoire that gave the group its name. Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto was given a solid enough performance, particularly on the orchestral side, with clear, crisp woodwind the order of the afternoon. Yid-Ee Goh, relinquishing his concertmaster chair, was a workmanlike rather than inspired soloist, at his most winning in the song without words of the central Andante.

One is eternally grateful for the chance to hear Brahms' Alto Rhapsody, a problematic score to programme, calling as it does for solo contralto and men's voices. This extended song stands alone in the composer's output. Goethe's poem must have appealed to the loner in Brahms, who, in its emotionally searing pages, anticipates the great weltschmerz lieder of Gustav Mahler. Alto Kate Spence illuminated every phrase with sumptuous tone and meticulous attention to line. The men's voices could have been a more mellifluous liedertafel but Paczian ably negotiated Brahms' subtly wafting rhythms.

Poulenc is remarkably under-represented in our concert halls. A pity, as few composers have his ability to balance the serious and light, often within one piece. Sunday's programme note for his Gloria pointed out how its "Laudamus te" section ruffled feathers in 1961 for its irreverent setting, Poulenc laughing it off as no more sacrilegious than angels poking out their tongues on a Renaissance fresco.

The acoustics may not have favoured the zesty mix of the traditional and moderne but Paczian nailed the spirit of it all, particularly in the Stravinskyish Domini Fili Unigenite. Soprano Anna Cors' warm presence presided over the final Qui Sedes ad Dexteram Patris which, when repeated as an encore, enabled us to enjoy once more its plush harmonies and assured choral singing.