“Celestial Voices” : Music of the Baroque reviewed by Julia W. Rath

***** What’s it like to be transported back to the Baroque era? Sunday night’s concert of the Music of the Baroque offered just this amazing and authentic experience! A program featuring the chorus and members of the orchestra was performed at the Saints Faith, Hope, & Charity Church, in Winnetka, which was one of two churches serving as venues for the final MOB concert of the year.

“Celestial Voices” opened with Thomas Tallis’s “Canon Processional”, where the chorus walked down the left and right sides of the sanctuary holding pillar candles while singing. Anchoring the entire program was Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestriana’s “Missa brevis” with its choral professions of the Christian faith sung a cappella; these portions were entitled Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei I & II. Both halves of the program contained an all-instrumental interlude, providing a moment of private reflection. In the first half, Henry Purcell’s “Trio Sonata No. 6 in G Minor, Z.807” was made up of two violins (Kevin Case and Sharon Polifrone), viola (Elizabeth Hagen), cello (Anna Steinhoff), bass (Collins Trier), and theorbo (Daniel Swenberg), with principal guest conductor Nicholas Kraemer doing double-duty as conductor and harpsichordist. And in the second half, we heard Johann Pachelbel’s “Canon and Gigue in D Major”, an extremely familiar and recognizable composition even to those who don’t know Baroque music.

One of the most rich and flowing songs of the evening was Purcell’s “Rejoice in the Lord alway, Z.49”, a composition for chorus and orchestra, sung in English. It started out with its organ opening (Stephen Alltop), and featured three mellifluous voices: Chelsea Lyons (alto), Tim Lambert (tenor), and Stephen Richardson (bass), nicely blended together with no one individual overpowering the other. The three stood together on the right side of the altar, with the chorus and orchestra ending on a very full sound. Just before intermission, we heard Claudio Monteverdi’s “Beatus vir”, featuring the gorgeous soprano voice of Katherine Buzard, with Lyons, Lambert, and Richardson making a return appearance. The high voices were on the left of the altar; the low voices on the right. Harpsichord and organ both played together. The combination of instruments and chorus was simply beautiful throughout.

Sung a cappella was William Byrd’s “Ave verum corpus” which opened the second half. Then you would have noticed that the instrumental by Pachelbel preceded the Palestrina. This resequencing allowed for better staging and for some buildup between the two adjacent chorus numbers, leading up to the moment when a bell was struck as an introduction to the solemn “Hymne à la nuit” by Jean-Philippe Rameau (arranged by Joseph Noyon). The room was appropriately dimmed for this piece of music and the chorus was basically hidden from view: All you could hear were the sounds of their combined and compelling voices in the dark. This moment of serious contemplation was, to my mind, the highlight of the concert. Buzard’s stirring soprano voice once again took center stage.

Then the room returned to its accustomed light level for the final number: Johann Sebastian Bach’s motet “Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied,” BWV 225. This joyous song with its figured bass and shifting time signatures manifests a rich and textured sound that builds to its energetic climax of “Hallelujah.” It’s an incredible musical narrative.

Finally, when everyone was taking their bows, Kraemer gave an important nod to chorus director Andrew Megill for doing an exceptionally fine job rehearsing all the vocalists. He recognized many individuals who, when taken together, helped to make the performance great. What a fitting way to end a remarkable evening of choral music full of intense religious and musical expression!

“Celestial Voices” was performed on Sunday, May 11, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. at Saints Faith, Hope, & Charity Church, 191 Linden St., Winnetka, IL.

A second performance took place on Monday, May 12th, at 7:30 p.m. at Fourth Presbyterian Church, 126 E. Chestnut Street, Chicago.

For more information about “Celestial Voices”, visit: https://www.baroque.org/Seasons/2024-2025/celestial-voices.

On demand performances (via the internet) are available for unlimited watching/listening beginning on Friday, May 16th at 5:00 p.m. To purchase an OnDemand Pass for $15 plus a $3 handling fee, please go to: https://baroque.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/?_gl=1*vh32i3*_gcl_au*MzYwMjM0NzE4LjE3NDQwODYxMjY.*_ga*MTc3OTcyNzk2My4xNzM1OTY4ODA1*_ga_HB6NHXP6H0*czE3NDcwODQ2MTMkbzEzJGcxJHQxNzQ3MDg0NjE5JGo1NCRsMCRoMTUxNDcxNDk3Ng..#/instances/a0FRb000001BkIHMA0

For general information and to learn about the next season of Music of the Baroque, including times, dates, and locations, please see: https://www.baroque.org/.