BAROQUE MUSIC PROGRAM SUMMARYCreated by: Judah Blumenthal

MUSIC OF THE BAROQUE SEASON

Annually, the Music of the Baroque season is held.

This year’s program began with a performance over the weekend, which was held at Evanston's Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.

The performance featured an orchestra of thirty five and chorus of twenty seven that managed to deliver a hefty sonic punch.

Principal guest conductor Nicholas Kraemer led the orchestra, chorus and vocal soloists.

PERFORMANCE PIECES According to an article recently completed by the Chicago Tribune, the performance featured pieces by several prominent composers, but not one piece of actual Baroque music.

The program did feature two short, unfamiliar works by Haydn and Beethoven.

However, the main draw was in the form of Mozart's pieces Requiem Mass and "Linz" Symphony (No. 36).

Much debate had surrounded the performance of Requiem Mass prior to the actual event.

DEBATE OVER THE LACK OF BAROQUE MUSIC

The original interpretation, as finished by Mozart's pupil Franz Sussmayr, has returned to be considered the most canonical completion.

There was also much discussion on the lack of Baroque music for the Music of the Baroque season kickoff event.

In recent years, the program has been known to explore Classical and Romantic pieces as an alternative to favoring unfamiliar and unknown Baroque pieces.

Familiar sounding pieces appear to be a bigger draw for the audience, piquing much more interest in the event.

ANALYZING THE MECHANICS

In terms of the mechanics of the event, the chorus had clear diction and a good array of terse loudness and relaxed softness.

However, at times, this led to the muddiness of the orchestra’s lower tones, such as the cellos, basses and tympani.

FEATURED VOCAL SOLOISTSIn addition, the chorus overpowered the work of the vocal soloists, which featured soprano Sherezade Panthaki, mezzo-soprano Meg Bragle, tenor Thomas Cooley, and baritone Stephen Powell, rendering them nearly absent.

Powell, who served as a substitute for an ailing Peter Rose, worked well with Cooley, particularly in their intertwining in the Tuba mirum.

The women were bell-like, lacking a sense of delicate shading. In terms of the pieces, Mozart’s “Linz” managed to be fleet and muscular; however, it lacked a certain crispness and transparency.

For more information on this musical event, read this article published in the Chicago Tribune.