Thirteen Strings ensemble proves it knows Christmas

The Thirteen Strings’ annual Christmas Candlelight Concert has been a big hit for many years, to the point that the orchestra now presents it in Dominion- Chalmers Church, a venue with about twice the capacity of St. Andrew’s, the Strings’ customary home.

Thus it was on Tuesday evening when conductor Kevin Mallon led the orchestra, two choruses and three soloists in an intelligent selection of seasonal music, followed by an audience singalong.

The first offering was J. S. Bach’s beloved Advent cantata Nun komm der Heiden Heiland sung by soprano Johane Ansell, tenor David Menzies and baritone David Pike, along with the Seventeen Voyces and Thirteen Strings. The performance was more than respectable. The chorus sang well, however briefly in this piece, and the orchestra was its usual strong self. The soloists were fairly decent and generally more.

Next came the Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols, a slightly bland concoction made up of variants of familiar carols, but a seasonal favourite for all that. It was convincingly rendered by baritone Pike and supported nicely by the orchestra.

The Chorale de la Salle under Robert Fillion was up next with three a cappella European carols. They were mostly, if not entirely, in two parts. This put them in the reach of this small group of young people, who rendered them most beautifully.

The second half of the program began with the Christmas Oratorio of Camille Saint-Saens. This is another work that is trundled out now and then at this time of year. It’s a bit delicate and is ideally given to bigger forces than were on hand Tuesday evening. It does have its charms, though, and might be performed more often if it didn’t require five vocal soloists.

In addition to the soloists listed above, the quintet included mezzosoprano Heidi Jost and alto Barbara Okun. The five blended nicely.

As always, the program included a handful of Christmas carols in which the audience was invited to sing along.