Bach Akademie Australia | JS Bach: A Life in Music

23 January, 2024, ACO Pier2/3 Sydney

Bach Akademie Australia
Director Madeleine Easton
Susannah Lawergren – soprano
Hannah Fraser – alto
Richard Butler – tenor
Christopher Richardson – bass

PROGRAM

JS Bach
Cantata BWV 106 ‘Actus Tragicus’
Brandenburg Concerto no.5 in D major BWV 1050
Motet ‘Lobet den Herrn’ BWV 230
Cantata BWV 42 ‘Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats’

A full house greeted the performers of the Bach Akademie Australia when they came on stage to perform a concert of all JS Bach opening with a work that he composed when he was in his early twenties, Cantata BWV 106 Actus Tragicus. The work was for a funeral service and the opening Sinfonia is mournful music with interweaving flutes, beautifully performed by Mikaela Oberg and Alicia Crossley, floating on top of repeating low notes of the viola da gamba, double bass and organ intoning at the speed of a resting heart beat.

This gentle music lulled all before the glorious vocal quartet of Susannah Lawergren, Hannah Fraser, Richard Butler & Christopher Richardson embarked on music that was designed to make the listener contemplate an eternal life after a brief passage on earth. For a composer barely 22 years old to create such artistry is amazing and at this young age little snippets of music in this work hint of great things to come in Bach’s later works. Richard Butler and Hannah Fraser perfectly conveyed the sadness inherent in the music in their short arias. Christopher Richardson had the exciting music in this work imploring those at the original church service to prepare themselves for a life beyond this place before tearing at the heartstrings with a short aria extolling the perfection of paradise whilst Susannah Lawergren and Hannah Fraser intoned a slow melody over the low notes of the bass.

After this astonishing early work the audience was comforted with a fine performance of Brandenburg Concerto no.5. At times harpsichord soloist Neal Peres Da Costa was a touch eccentric in his tempi changes but who wants to listen to just another performance of this familiar work. Flautist Mikaela Oberg and violin soloist Madeleine Easton had ample opportunities to play highly nuanced phrases.

The short motet Lobet den Herrn was light and airy and sung with great precision and excitement. It is hard to single out one singer though soprano Susannah Lawergren let rip with some thrilling high notes that impressed.

Cantata BWV 42 Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats opens with a Sinfonia with dynamic writing for the strings and delicious contributions from two oboes and bassoon. Oboists Adam Masters and Kailen Cresp have exhilarated me before in Bach Akademie Australia concerts and they did it all over again and with their bassoon colleague Ben Hoadley they had a companion who revelled in this music. Their work with the ever so musical Hannah Fraser in the aria Zo zwei und drei versammelt sind was heavenly. Fraser is an artist who searches for the meaning in each phrase. A cracker of a bass aria Jesus ist ein Schild again gave the audience a chance to be enthralled by the stunning singing of Christopher Richardson. I was enchanted by the singing of Susannah Lawergren and Richard Butler in the Chorale duo for soprano and tenor.

Any concert of baroque music and particularly by Bach needs a great cello, bass and organ/harpsichord section on which to build the layers of invention and the Bach Akademie has a truly impeccable lineup with Anthea Cottee and Laura Vaughan viola da gamba/cello, Pippa MacMillan, double bass, organist Nathan Cox and also Neal Peres Da Costa.

Bach Akademie Australia will have a fascinating season in and around Sydney this year and I am sure this Sydney Festival program will gain them many new supporters.