Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music 2013

The Lufthansa Festival has made regular visits to Westminster Abbey over the years and the event has become a highlight of the week. A packed Abbey had gathered to hear works by Purcell, himself once organist of this very building.

With the Abbey Choir at the heart of the event it was natural to open with My beloved spake using soloists drawn from the choir itself. The setting suited both the occasion and the balance of voices, floating Purcell’s relaxed harmonies into the gently echoing spaces of the abbey’s vaulted roof.

The choir sang with precision and a sound range of dynamics throughout, ending the Ode for the Birthday of Queen Mary of 1691 with considerable enthusiasm.

Iestyn Davies was a late replacement but very warmly welcome given the demand he is in these days. He opened the Ode, following the trumpet led symphony, and set a high standard from the start in terms of impact. As the work progressed it became clear that all the soloists were equally gifted, with admirable input from Benjamin Bevan – himself another late replacement – Mary Bevan and Charles Daniels.

The arrangement of the soloists on the platform was rather disconcerting. They were seated in the side aisles and frequently had to move behind the choir to the other side before they came on to sing.

After a brief interval we heard Hail, bright Cecilia! the ode for St Cecilia’s day, 1692. Charles Daniels lyrical tones excelled in ‘Tis Nature’s Voice and Mary Bevan ‘s brief Thou tun’st this world was equally appealing.

The surprise was the apparent mismatch between the text and the orchestra. The singers spend the whole of the second part of the ode extolling the virtues of the organ, in particular its range, power and authority. Purcell was organist in the Abbey, and while the current instrument is obviously of a far more recent date, the composer would surely have expected a far large sound than the rather feeble chamber organ which was used? There seems to be no compromise today between using a robust sound, which is close to that which Purcell would have known, and the softer tones of a chamber organ which are fine in context, of which this was not one.

James O’Donnell conducted throughout with deftness and tact, if erring on the side of caution rather than excitement.BH