Men of Moment
Thoroughbass presents vocal and instrumental works by three great men – Handel, Bach and Arne. Handel’s cantata Udite il mio consiglio and Arne’s Cymon and Iphiginia are both set in the pastoral lands of nymphs, shepherds and mythological folks. But where Arne sees women and their beauty as transformative, for Handel, they are bad news – cruel, deceitful and ultimately, to be shunned. Bach’s world-view has little time for shenanigans. His aria Betörte Welt recommends God’s riches over earthly ones, while his intricate Sonata for Recorder and Harpsichord weaves a rich, meditative tapestry. With Carmel de Jager (previously Sophia Mitchell)(mezzo), Alice Girle (soprano), Jo Arnott (recorder), Cathy Upex (cello) and Diana Weston (harpsichord).
3pm Sunday April 6 2014, St Luke’s Church, Ourimbah Rd, Mosman
Georg Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759) Sonata in C major for recorder and bc HWV 365
Thomas Arne(1710 – 1778) Cantata: Cymon and Iphigenia
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750Betörte Welt from cantata BWV 94
JS Bach Sonata in c minor for recorder and obbligato cembalo BWV 1030
George Frederic Handel Cantata HWV 172: Udite il mio consiglio
GF Handel Cantata HWV 192: Quel fior all’alba ride
Bach composed about 40 cantatas before 1723 when he became cantor at St Thomas Church in Leipzig, some of which included recorder. After 1724, however, while continuing to include recorder in his cantatas, Bach came to use the transverse flute more and more, possibly because he had a skilled player at his disposal, possibly because he preferred it. Other suggestions are that the flute’s ‘true’ notes sounded better with strings in terms of pitch, than did the recorder. Whatever the reason, Betörte Welte is one of many cantatas with obbligato parts for flute. Bach, like many baroque composers, did not baulk at substituting one instrument for another if the preferred one was not available. Fortunately for us, we have with us a recorder player who can overcome any expressive and pitch difficulties Bach can throw at her. In the same spirit of making-do, we are using a reduction played on harpsichord, instead of the original orchestral parts.
Bach’s use of obbligato instruments to enhance the sentiment voiced by the singer is never more apparent than in Betörte Welt. The recorder weaves a sinuous and beautiful melody around the voice as if to suggest how easy it is to be seduced by earthly delights, when to choose Jesus is to be rich in spirit.
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