SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Handel, Messiah: Soloists, Devon Baroque (Leader-Margaret Faultless)  The Sheldon Consort and the Choir of Royal Holloway, Rupert Gough (conductor) Exeter Cathedral  18.12. 2007 (BK)

Devon Baroque
 

Natalie Clifton-Griffiths (Soprano)
Owen Willetts (Alto)
Richard Rowntree (Tenor)
Stephen Foulkes (Bass)


A Messiah performed to perfection by (mostly) west country artists,  brought a truly festive feeling to Exeter's splendid cathedral this week; especially so, as it  featured  Devon Baroque, the county's only professional orchestra. What more could a Devon man want at Christmas?

Formed by the incomparable Margaret Faultless, co-leader of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and a  respected international artist of  great technical skill and scholarship, Devon Baroque has redrawn the south west's  musical landscape in recent years. The   group uses period instruments and in true baroque tradition varies in size and composition to fit its repertoire. Here, a harpsichord and a ringing baroque trumpet filled out the string and woodwinds' glorious sound.

Other west country connections were added by the fact that conductor Rupert Gough was Assistant Organist at Wells Cathedral for eleven years before becoming Director of Choral Music at London University's Royal Holloway College; where the mixed voice Chapel Choir  sings a daily morning service and  Sunday Evensong. Bass soloist Stephen Foulkes is  a vicar-choral at Wells Cathedral too and the Sheldon Consort  - supplementing the Royal Holloway voices - began as the Wells Chamber Choir. The soprano soloist was born in Cornwall.

This was essentially a small scale,  light-touch Messiah although with more than enough power to fill the Cathedral's vast spaces.  Taken along at a distinctly sprightly pace, the  young choristers - about thirty all told - tackled Handel's familiar but oddly tricky score with great accuracy, excellent ensemble and impeccable tuning. The music was performed without repeats in the main,  which added nicely to the sense of pace and timing, all of which felt entirely appropriate. This was a refreshingly joyful and celebratory account of the work  completely suited to the Christmas season. The solemn Easter sections were not neglected however and all the drama of the work was revealed  with great care and  affection.

The Baroque ornamentation used by all the soloists was also wholly appropriate - at least to my ear - never once over-florid or desperately 'authentic',  as seems so often the case these days.   Soprano Natalie Clifton-Griffiths has a sweet, lyrical and vibrato free voice which was perfectly matched to 'How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace'  and  'I know that my Redeemer liveth'  in Parts II and III but was equally well suited to the jaunty runs of 'Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion' in the oratorio's opening section:  and how nice it was to hear  that done in compound time  for once. Her four recitatives after the Pifa  were genuinely elegant, moving the the story on quickly but with graceful clarity toward the climactic moment of the angels'  triumphant chorus 'Glory to God.'

Richard Rowntree sang fluid yet manly versions of the tenor arias with especially fine ringing sounds in 'Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron,' while bass-baritone Stephen Foulkes was more than equal to the demanding dynamic range and vocal compass of his arias, producing a solid low F in 'The people that walked in darkness.'

The discovery of the evening however,  was Owen Willetts' alto singing. His is a voice of considerable beauty and power, completely untroubled by problems of passaggio, and sounding unforced and effortless throughout its considerable dynamic range. While all four soloists were more than pleasurable to hear, Owen Willetts' contributions will stay longest in the memory, certainly in this kind of repertoire. He will prepare a role  in a very different style when he covers as The Innocent  in Harrison Birtwistle's new opera, The Minotaur, at The Royal Opera next year which should surely be interesting to hear.

Such superlatives spring to the fingers when thinking  about Devon Baroque that it's hard not sound uncritical. Writing about the Mellstock Band last week though, I said that their Christmas Music was as significant (in its own way) as the King's College Nine Lessons and Carols or a very good Christmas Messiah. The Messiah I had in mind fortuitously turned up as this one. Merry Christmas to all  involved in it  -  especially Rupert Gough and Margaret Faultless. 


Bill Kenny

The Devon Baroque web site is HERE

A longer feature on the work of Devon Baroque will appear in the New Year.