2004
28th May – Concert at Farnham Castle
If music of the Baroque period, Bach,
Handel, Teleman, Schütz and the like, gives you pleasure then May 28th at
Farnham Castle would have been a reassuring event with fourteen young student musicians
of the Royal Academy Baroque Orchestra in full flight directed from the
harpsichord by Laurence Cummings on the opening night of the 52nd Tilford Bach
Festival. “They’re a talented bunch” said Laurence in his introduction and he
was quite right. Laurence is Director of Music for the Tilford Bach Society and
the RABO were making their third welcome appearance at the Festival.
Tafelmusik by Telemann gave the full
ensemble opportunity to demonstrate their versatility across eight varied
movements of the suite. Soprano Megan Morgan, currently studying singing at the
Royal Academy, showed off her clear, natural tones in an aria from Handel’s
Alcina. Baritone Andrew McIntosh sang the aria So yield now, ye foolish and
purposeless sorrows from Bach’s cantata BWV 8. Andrew has a rich, sonorous
baritone voice and we will certainly hear more from him in the future.
To end the first half Laurence
Cummings vacated the harpsichord for Joseph McHardy to play Bach’s harpsichord
concerto in D major. If he was nervous to have Laurence, a harpsichordist of
international repute and probably his tutor, sitting right behind him, he
didn’t show it as he gave a fluent performance accompanied by a string ensemble
of five of his fellow students.
After the interval Megan Morgan and
Andrew McIntosh sang Bach’s cantata BWV 152 Walk on the road of faith, which
includes a part for viola d’amore played by Alfonso Leal del Ojo. If, as they
say, you could only take one piece to the desert island, for me it would be the
Fantasia á 6 by Heinrich Schütz albeit a very short movement. The 6 are two
violas and four cellos and they produce a wonderful, mellow sound as they bow
their way through Schütz’s tugging harmonies.
The final item was Bach’s concerto
for oboe and violin which brought back the full ensemble with oboist Joel
Raymond and violinist Hanna Personen. It’s always a great pleasure to have this
group from the Royal Academy with us because they’re so young, they’re so good,
and particularly because you feel that the future of music making of this genre
is in safe hands with people like Laurence Cummings and his colleagues
nurturing a wealth of burgeoning talent. We wish these young musicians every
good fortune in their careers ahead.
Pete Wisbey