Word: cantatas
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...Church. Several times each year they sing solo recitals. Last Sunday afternoon, they participated in a choral evensong that gave them a far larger role than the regular Sunday morning service, but within a sacred setting. The occasion was Reformation Day, and the program was built around Bach's Cantata #80, Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott ("A mighty fortress...
...performers caught the tricky rhythm at the start of the cantata. This is important for a building of Mem Church's acoustics where the lack of echo mercilessly exposes poor ensemble. The opening chorus has a beautiful trumpet part. It was played with a smooth and searing quality that cut right through the dense choral and orchestral texture...
Neither of the first two arias in Cantata #80 are exceptional pieces. David Buchner negotiated a painfully difficult bass part with good control. The string ensemble accompanying him was sharply attentive to dynamics: filling out in their tutti passages and quickly dropping back during the singers' sections...
...brass choir also played well, allowing for the inevitable slips with such instruments. The raw power of brass and timpani gives them a sound that instantly captures an audience's attention. The chorale in the middle of the cantata was a good display of the near-infinite variety of Bach's accompaniments. That they were invented solely to alleviate the boredom of the same old hymn tunes is forgotten in their individual splendor...
MEMORIAL CHURCH. Harvard University Choir. Choral Evening Service with Bach's Cantata No. 80. Free. Sunday, October...