Baroque group does a grand job on Bach

The Kellie Consort, Scotland’s only preprofessional Baroque ensemble, gave a most enjoyable concert of JS Bach and Purcell on Friday 27 in the acoustically favorable St John’s Kirk, Perth.

This young group, aged 18-30 as their poster advertised, made a most stylish debut in Perth, with three Bach Cantatas sung one to a part and three short pieces of Purcell theatre music.

Beginning with the Chorale of Cantata BWV153 Schau, Lieber Gott, wie mein Feind the blend, evenness, balance and projection of the four soloists was clear.

Alto Lauren MacLeod gave a good account of the recitative before the strong bass of Niall Kennedy in his Aria, distinctly relishing every word.

The strings of the ensemble gave vivid account of Bach’s lines, the continuo section given more impact by Mario Torres’ double-bass and the nimble harpsichord of Tiffany Vong.

A particularly jolly chorale from all four soloists ended the Cantata.

The instrumentalists showed good clarity and balance in the Air and Rondeau from Purcell’s Faery Queen, with their later high point in the driving, dramatic Curtain Tune on a Ground from Timon of Athens.

Soprano Rebecca Murphy carried expressive weight in Bach’s solo Cantata BWV199 Mein Herze schwimmt in Blut.

Seconded by the beautiful Baroque oboe of Hannah Blumsohn, she was dignified in the Aria Mute Sighs, silent Plaints, adding restrained ornament to the da capo. With a later virtuoso cello part, this was a most affecting performance ending with a joyous jiglike Aria.

All soloist rejoined for the final Cantata BWV22 Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe and its strong fugue.

There was fine legato from the alto and a nice swing to the tune from tenor Stuart Murray Mitchell before the final Chorale, where the instrumentalists had a vigorous background and the soloists gave constraint with the punctuating chorale itself.