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The writer with Philharmonia Baroque's immortal conductor Nic McGegan (lifesize cut out, right)
Philharmonia Baroque debuted their production of Athalia, Handel’s Wicked Queen on Saturday night at Berkeley’s First Congregational Church. PBO plays period music authenticly, this one right down to the ethereal counter tenor, Robin Blaze. Moreover there’s nothing like trying something new to lift your spirits. Nothing like great music to energize the soul. Handel’s Wicked Queen gives glory. It was my first time seeing PBO and I went with my Berkeley church-going companion Kent Coddington. Kent deserved a reward for his recent performance in a little Black church production of CSI Jerusalem in my home town of San Leandro. The DVD is coming.
Moreover what can be more refreshing than exorcising one's life of a wicked queen mother? They go out cursing but they do go. Cinderella says thumbs up.
Bring on the chorus of blooming virgins.
This is an aria sung by Diana Higbee in the role of Josabeth in Händel's oratorio ATHALIA perfomes for the 24th Ambronay Festival (France) in 2003.
Gloomy tyrants we disdain . . .
This is an aria sung by countertenor Damien Guillou in the role of Joad in Händel's oratorio ATHALIA perfomes for the 24th Ambronay Festival (France) in 2003.
O Lord whom we adore . . .
This is an aria sung by countertenor Damien Guillou in the role of Joad in Händel's oratorio ATHALIA perfomes for the 24th Ambronay Festival (France) in 2003.
I shared First Congregational in Berkeley with what seemed to be many long time mature fans.
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Michael Colbruno said the Sunday crowd would stomp their feet but the Saturday night crowd has caught on too; they stomped their feet on the wooden floors and thundered applause for a long time at the conclusion of the two hours. Indeed all shined and set off each other’s solo but the counter tenor was spell binding. It’s as if Robin Blaze as the biblical high priest Joad channels the voice of arch angels. He commands with a dramatic demeanor and reaches every last pew of the church as if he sings softly and carries a big stick.
If like me you have never seen Philharmonia Baroque before, it’s a period orchestra that stays true to the original music by playing with original instruments like a harpsicord and what I’m told by David Tayler, the proud owner, is a theorbo.
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The theorbo is a copy of one at the Vienna art museum says David. It’s ten years old and he has one from 1983. It takes two months to make. The original had ivory inlay but he used politically correct ground oyster shells. He’s a 1989 graduate school grad from UC Berkeley, my alma mater. Getting a degree in musicology with him, San Francisco Chronicle’s critic Joshua Kosman, whose review appears in the Chronicle. I have to say I was thrilled to meet Mr. Kosman finally in person. Cindi Hubbard the interim executive director at PBO introduced me to Josh. He shook my hand. Later as soon as the music ended Josh literally ran up the aisle, presumably to make his deadline. David says Josh is a great bridge player and they won a tournament in Berkeley.
David's wife Hanneke van Proosdij, who had lost her voice that night, plays harpsicord. David describes Hanneke as the brains. The conductor, Nic McGegan also plays harpsicord and while he conducts. Here's Hanneke with film maker Jonathan Luskin in the background, right, after the performance.
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True to the origination of the music, Nic was born in England and went to Oxford. Nic has been immortalized at The Musical Offering, a classical CD and Café-Bistro on Bancroft Way . . .
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That's record store manager Nadja Matisoff above . . .
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(to be continued)
Performances of Athalia, Handel's Wicked Queen in Palo Alto and Herbst Theater, San Francisco this weekend only.
For more info: www.Philharmonia.org, www.musicaloffering.com, www.moosepix.com
Photos: Cindy Warner
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Comments
You can sort of see from the photograph that the theorbo has a whole system of strings that are not to be plucked. They are simply there to resonate. The sitar has similar strings, but the theorbo strings resonate with really low bass notes. Those strings give it a characteristically eerie sound, which was used very effectively last year in the San Francisco Opera production of ARIODANTE. (Too many musicologists spend so much time looking at the notes that the sometimes forget the sounds!)
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