At Bach fest, Mendelssohn, jazz top McCartney on the charts
The final weekend of the 86th annual Bach Festival went for variety — from a Mozart symphony to a composition by one Paul McCartney to Bach’s famed “Toccata and Fugue” arranged for a big band. What a bracing reminder that good music is good music, no matter the style.
On a two-concert Saturday, the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park first presented a selection of toe-tapping tunes in Central Park. You might not think of Bach as toe-tapping but here, some of his most famous melodies were set to a big-band jazz beat.
“I have this belief that if Bach were alive today he’d have a church gig in the day, or maybe a college job, but at night he’d play jazz,” said artistic director John Sinclair.
The different arrangements showed the versatility of a solid big band, under the stewardship of Chuck Archard.
On tenor sax, Rex Werz gave a mellow solo during Cantata No. 2, arranged by Per Danielsson — the perfect vibe to “chillax,” if anyone still says that.
Dave MacKenzie introduced his arrangement of the familiar Minuet by saying “We’re all going to cross ourselves” — but the result was proof that prayer works. The tricky 5-4 time signature provided an exciting extra kick.
The Cello Suite No. 1, again arranged by Danielsson, let Werz play the popular melody on sax; I wish he had been louder in the mix. But it was fascinating to hear something thought of as soothing transformed into a peppy mood lifter.
Another highlight of “Big Band Bach”: MacKenzie’s “A Walk in the Park,” written in honor of Central Park. Ed Gaston’s jaunty trumpet and John Olearchick’s skittering keys added to the elegant feel of gentleman tipping their caps to parasol-shaded ladies out for a promenade.
Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 in D Major added musical elegance to Saturday night’s concert, “MMM … Mozart, Mendelssohn, McCartney.” The imposing and dignified first movement nicely gave way to the contrasting delicacy of the second. The finale excited in all the right places as swift dynamic adjustments let the orchestra, conducted by Sinclair, be its own echo as the timpani rumbled.
“Spiral,” by McCartney followed. The Beatles bassist composed a work more ethereal than the two pieces that bookended his 10-minute composition. The opening conjured a world of possibility, and though the piece seemed to be building to something grand, that never quite materialized. Instead, the music sunk into melancholy.
Mendelssohn set out to grab his listeners right from the start of his “Italian” Symphony No. 4 in A minor, and the Bach Festival orchestra did just that. In the fascinating second movement, Sinclair and his players struck a perfect balance between the cellos, incessantly tiptoeing under the other strings, and the violas and violins, deftly trading the melody back and forth.
The showstopping final movement’s intensity, building steadily, was just right, too.
And the music goes on. Select festival performances remain available to view at bachfestivalflorida.org/ bachathome.