Saturday, 10 June 2017, 3:30 pm
Sunday, 11 June 2017, 7:30pm
St Ambrose Church, Woodend
Woodend Winter Arts Festival
PROGRAM
Deus in adjutorium (RV593)
Dixit Dominus (RV595)
Laudate pueri (RV602)
Confitebor (RV596)
Beatus vir (RV597)
Lauda Jerusalem (RV609)
Magnificat (RV610)
Antonio Vivaldi, known in his day as “the Red Priest” (on account of his red hair), is known in our day mainly as the composer of 500-odd concertos, especially those called The Four Seasons. But he was also a prolific composer of church music, of which a splendid Gloria is the only piece to have achieved superstar status in our time. Much of his Vespers music awaits discovery by the larger musical public. For the opening and closing items we have only a single setting, but for the five intervening psalms we have to choose from an embarrassment of riches: for example, there are three wonderful settings of Dixit Dominus, of which only one must be selected. Most pieces are being performed for the first time in Australia.
SINGERS
Soprano
Deborah Summerbell; Carol Veldhoven; Katherine Lieschke; Victoria Brown;
Katharina Hochheiser; Claerwen Jones; Mandie Lee; Sarah Harris
Alto
Belinda Wong; Juliana Kay; Elizabeth Chong;
Yi Wen Chin; Niki Ebacioni; Rebecca Collins
Tenor
Peter Campbell; Tim van Nooten; Daniel Riley;
Vaughan McAlley; Michael Stephens; Stuart Tennant
Bass
Andrew Murray; Adrian Phillips; Nicholas Tolhurst;
Thomas Bell; Mike Ormerod; Michael Strasser
SOLOISTS
Katherine Norman, soprano
Kristy Biber, soprano
Christopher Roache, alto
Daniel Thomson, tenor
Jerzy Kozlowski, bass
Accademia Arcadia
Directed by John O’Donnell
REVIEW
15 June 2017, Facebook, [online]
Vivaldi Vespers
Paul Selar
Ensemble Gombert and Accademia Arcadia
St Ambrose Church, Woodend
Sunday 11th June 2017
Every Queen’s Birthday weekend, the town of Woodend is the setting for a small but quality Winter Arts Festival, now in its 13th year. I hadn’t been before but I was drawn to it for the Australian premiere performance of Vivaldi Vespers (I also have friends in nearby Kyneton).
In the red brick, neo-Romanesque St Ambrose Church, Ensemble Gombert, numbering 26 singers, and the 16 musicians of Accademia Arcadia took to the altar for an evening of uplifting music led by John O’Donnell. Sung in Latin, the program – Deus in adjutorium (RV 593), Dixit Dominus (RV 595), Laudate pueri (RV 602), Confitebor (RV 596), Beatus vir (RV 597) and taking Lauda Jerusalem (RV 609) to an interval before bringing Concerto in due Cori Per La S. Sma. Assontione di M. V. (RV 582) and finishing with Magnificat (RV 610) – shone in glorious form. In praise of God, believer or not, its beauty is transforming. Indeed, the Church had the tools to attract and intoxicate its followers! The English translation appears in the program notes but you didn’t really need it as an aid.
The hum, buzz and warmth of Accademia Arcadia’s fine playing gave vividness and radiance to the evening and there was some lovely singing from the soloists – sopranos Katherine Norman and Kristy Biber, countertenor Christopher Roache and tenor Daniel Thomson – but it was Jerzy Kozlowski’s generous smoky bass that most impressed. The combined voices of Ensemble Gombert catapulted the evening even higher, their well-rehearsed, crisp, precision-timing and attentive modulation of sound showing pleasing reliability.
Violinist Davide Monte, a festival regular, led the proceedings for Concerto in due cori RV582 in an untiring, virtuosic and knockout performance – a showman and a delight to watch. Andrew Angus, on oboe, had frighteningly tricky extended solo leaps across the stave to make but the music emanated, if not completely intact, at least deliciously warm and amber-toned. The strings excelled as Artistic Director and founder of the festival, Jacqueline Ogeil, provided well-balanced support at the organ.
Packing the little church, the audience of around 150 loved it. Just one hour out of Melbourne, it was one well-worth-the-effort of a trip and now has me looking at making a future visit next Queen’s Birthday weekend to sample more.
Paul Selar, Herald-Sun opera critic/Public Facebook post
