Review: Derby Bach Choir, Derby Cathedral, 17.11.12

Beethoven's

Mass in C tends to be overlooked, squeezed between Haydn's late

masses on the one hand, and Beethoven's own Missa Solemnis

on the other. But, as Derby Bach Choir and conductor Richard Roddis

reminded us, it is a fine, noble work in its own right.

It

was a performance alive to both the work's relationship with the

tradition of Viennese mass settings, and Beethoven's individual

take on that tradition. A firm grasp of the music's structure, as

in the build-up of momentum at the start of the Credo, was matched by

a responsiveness to its changing moods. The quiet opening of the

Kyrie and its echo at the very end of the work were sensitively

handled, while passages such as the Et Vitam Venturi were vigorous

and alert.

Soprano

Claire Surman, mezzo Joyce Tindsley, tenor Christopher Larley and

baritone Peter Taylor were an exceptionally well-matched and -blended

solo team, while Derby Bach Orchestra's contribution included some

ear-catching woodwind solos.

The

evening began with Haydn's jolly Te Deum (the second of his

two settings), though the choir's performance also found hints of

anxiety in the slow central section.

The

account of Vivaldi's Gloria that followed (like the Haydn,

it is much the better-known of the composer's two settings) gave

full rein the the music's expressive variety. There was poise in Et

in Terra Pax, solidity in Gratias Agimus Tibi, a delightfully light,

skippy Domine Fili Unigeniti, and clarity in the contrapuntal

textures of the final Cum Sancto Spiritu.

Does

anyone ever perform Haydn's other Te Deum or Vivaldi's

other Gloria? Just a thought.