An engrossing evening of Bach with a festive flavour

For the practically full Perth Concert Hall, it was a real pleasure to welcome back John Butt and the Dunedin Consort.

This authentic practice group gave a performance of four cantatas from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.

Using baroque instruments gave an excitingly different sound to the music and given John Butt’s inspiring conducting and harpsichord playing, it made for an engrossing evening.

The blaze of timpani and trumpets started the first cantata Jauchzet, frohlocket (Shout out and rejoice). As chorus John Butt had his four soloists plus four ripienists women to the left, men to the right, giving an extra antiphonal liveliness.

The vocal soloists were often paired with an instrumental soloist and these were a highlight of the evening.

The first was alto Emilie Renard with the oboe of Alex Bellamy and a rhythmic swing for the first Aria Bereite dich, Zion. Later in this Cantata Edward Grint, bass-baritone, combined with the trumpet. Another high point was tenor Hugo Hymas in the concerto-like allegro with two solo violins.

In Cantata 4 Fallt mit danken, natural horns replaced the trumpets changing the balance to warmth and grandeur. The echo aria Flößt, mein Heiland gave the offstage soprano ripienist Claire Evans the final beautiful word against soprano soloist Mary Bevan.

The many chorales are items which were familiar to congregations in Bach’s time and closer to the people.

John Butt’s enthused conducting really communicated with the large audience, reaching impressive heights in the very last one, where the words of the eight singers were punctuated by glorious orchestral sound.