Reviews

A selection of reviews by Irish Times writers.

John Dexter Harmony, OSC/Dexter
St Ann's Church, Dublin
By Andrew Johnstone

Bach - Cantatas 186, 107, 187

The Orchestra of St Cecilia's decade-long survey of Bach's cantatas reached the end of its sixth annual segment on Sunday. The guest conductor was John Dexter, and the guest choir his eponymous ensemble of boy sopranos and adult altos, tenors and basses.

The mixture of men's, women's and children's voices isn't designed for a homogeneous choral sound, and in fugal passages particularly the contrasting tone quality of each part was noticeable. Yet this was very likely also the case with Bach's own church choirs.

Both halves of cantata 186 end with the same chorus to different words. It was on the second hearing that Dexter's boys showed just how unified, well managed and robust their singing can be.

In the choruses, Dexter's tempos were conservative but never dragging. His thoughtful pacing of the arias contributed to the effect of the music's imagery - as did some strong obbligato violin and oboe playing.

Choirs and conductors come and go in this series, but the vocal soloists are almost invariably the four who sang in this concert: Lynda Lee (soprano), Alison Browner (alto), Robin Tritschler (tenor) and Nigel Williams (bass).

Their dedication to Bach's solo vocal music is clear. No matter what new and demanding recitatives and arias each week's concert may bring, they prepare them with care and perform them with authority.

Dance Company of Wales
Cork Opera House
By Mary Leland

Innovation by itself is never enough, and in its programme "Diversions" the Dance Company of Wales makes sure that its choreographic originality is supported by professional skill.

More than this, however, the company also expresses an affinity with the material - and with one another - which flows through each of the three pieces in this touring presentation.

This works as a kind of identifier, marking the individual dancers as links in an ensemble which is at its most compelling in Jerry Pearson's piece, In Our Image. As it happens this is an elderly item (first performed in 1986) but it retains a subtle modernity which, timed to the music of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, seems visually appropriate to the status and quality of this company.

An up-beat contrast is offered by Helene Blackburn's Chase the Glowing Hours with Flying Feet with a sound design by Mike Beer adjusted to the music of Bach variations and matched by vocal variations in which both dancers and audience delight. All the dancers are athletic and need to be, but their training seems to have had a high classical content so that they meet even the occasionally extreme demands of Struck by Lightning with as much grace as strength.

This piece by Juan Carlos Garcia, to a sound-track combining Pan Sonic, Monteverdi and Puccini, was commissioned by the company, which responds brilliantly to the technical and atmospheric challenges it presents.