The Oregonian
Classical review: Trinity Consort sounds sumptuous
Monday, December 11, 2006
by James McQuillen

The soundtrack of the winter holidays has two essential elements: carols (in myriad arrangements piped through the sound system of every retail establishment) and (in the category of music that people actually intend to hear) music of the Baroque.

Why the Baroque, exactly, is a mystery, though its potpourri of antiquity, gracious rhythms and sonorous warmth certainly suits a season of tradition and ritual. So there was a sense of rightness in Trinity Consort’s sumptuous program Saturday night at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, even if only two of the pieces were specifically intended for Christmas.

Those two were Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s “Midnight Mass for Christmas,” which closed the French Baroque first half, and the second cantata fro J.S. Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio.” The rest was a generous and savory feast, wit music of Charpentier, Marin Marais, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Jean-Baptiste Lully and Georg Friedrich Handel.

Conductor Eric Milnes earned a reputation in Portland for brash, muscular music-making some years ago, in performances of Handel’s “Messiah” with the Consort and, previously, Portland Baroque Orchestra. Some called these the “rock and roll ‘Messiah,’” thanks to their intense rhythmic drive, over-the-top timpani solos and ornament-heavy vocal riffs.

Saturday’s performance, by contrast, was refined and focused, but it still had the intensity one associates with New York City, Milnes’ hometown. The music never sounded rushed, but Milnes traversed the program with a purposeful stride; his relentlessness lent buoyancy and unflagging energy, but also a sense of sameness from piece to piece.

The superb Trinity Chamber Singers, an assembly of much of the city’s best choral talent, was exquisitely responsive, with a round, solid sound. They made the final movement of the Bach a dazzling choral thrill ride. Soloists were very fine and well-matched.

Baritone Kevin Walsh and tenors Rodrigo del Pozo and Blake Applegate made especially nice work of trios in the Charpentier; sopranos Laura Heimes and Amanda Jane Kelley were radiant throughout; and alto Tuesday Rupp contributed a beautifully warm, if initially tentative, aria to the Bach.

Instrumental playing, featured most prominently in chaconnes by Marais and Lully and a concerto by Handel, was sparkling and tight, with bassoon, recorders and a stellar four-person oboe section all deserving special mention. The personnel came from all over North America (and beyond), but they played as though they’d teen together for ages.

The Oregonian
Trinity Consort blends cantatas richly for Bach Christmas special
Monday, December 12, 2005
by James McQuillen

You’d think that Christmas music by Johann Sebastian Bach would enjoy at least the same holiday-classic status as Easter music by George Frideric Handel, but Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” has somehow never achieved the popularity of Handel’s “Messiah.” On the other hand, maybe it’s not that surprising: The “Christmas Oratorio” is a set of six Bach cantatas written for specific services during the Christmas season and never intended to be performed all at once.

Yet as Eric Milnes and Trinity Consort demonstrated in a warm and vibrant concert Saturday night at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, the cantatas can be fashioned (with some judicious cutting and pasting) into a single piece with all the attractions of Handel’s oratorio – magnificent writing for chorus, soloists and orchestra bound by a rich and distinct version of biblical narrative.

Variety was part of the virtue of Trinity’s six-into-one approach. The original cantatas were written for different forces, so combining them yielded constant shifts in focus and texture among voices and instrumental groups. Sections highlighting brass, double reeds or flutes alternated with various combinations of voice and instruments, including a memorable trio for tenor, flute and organ on “Frohe Hirten, eilt, ach eilet” (“Happy shepherds, haste ye”), a touching interlude of tranquil joy.

Milnes’ direction, which maintained an unflagging pace without ever sounding rushed, also helped to unify the performance. The players and singers, the Trinity Cathedral Chamber Singers and invited soloists, demonstrated both a consistently high standard of musicianship and great stamina all the way to the closing measures – no mean feat, given that the lengthy set of “Christmas Oratorio” excerpts was only the second half of a program that also featured works of Handel, Sebastien de Brossard and Mar-Antoine Charpentier.

Guest soloists included Christopher Burchett, who lent a magnificently sonorous, room-filling bass in his single contribution, and tenor Rodrigo del Pozo, who after a breathy, sometimes faint beginning warmed into a tender, lyrical and focused performance. From the choir came some of Portland’s best choral singers in solo roles, including Kevin Walsh, Tuesday Kingsbury, Blake Applegate and especially soprano Amanda Jane Kelley, who enchanted with a pure and exquisitely controlled sound. Assigning her to the role of the Angel in the “Christmas Oratorio” was vocal typecasting.

The Oregonian
Holiday banquet served without usual fare
Monday, December 13, 2004
by James McQuillen

Trinity Consort’s Christmas concerts last weekend at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral included none of the typical holiday fare – no carols, no Handel’s “Messiah” – but they were nonetheless ideal for the holidays, exemplifying as they did the season’s central themes of abundance and festivity.

With well over two hours of music, the program was generous, to say the least – a musical gourmand’s holiday banquet. It never seemed too much Saturday night, however, a person doesn’t mind being stuffed when the offerings are uniformly fine.

The performance opened with an early-music rarity, a setting by Handel of the “Gloria” from the Latin Mass in its Portland premiere. (The work was discovered among the holdings of London’s Royal Academy of Music four years ago, and its authorship remains the subject of some controversy.) It was a charming novelty, an Italianate multipart aria with a fittingly florid “Amen,” and soprano Laura Heimes sang it beautifully, with nicely shaped dynamic contours, delicate ornamentation and a firm clarion tone.

The evening’s highlights were two choral works for the holiday, Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s “Midnight Mass for Christmas” and J.S. Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio,” the latter in a set of judiciously chosen excerpts from the original six cantatas that worked superbly as a self-contained piece. The 25-member Trinity Cathedral Chamber Singers, drawn from the cream of Portland’s choral community, sang brilliantly. The singers’ tone was unified, and they were keenly responsive to conductor Eric Milnes’ intense, urgent and often up-tempo direction.

Particularly noteworthy were several soloists: tenor Blake Applegate, who delivered the lion’s share of the recitatives in the Bach with a fine, focused sound and natural musicality; the strong and expressive alto Jo Ganske; soprano Amanda Jane Kelley and baritone Kevin Walsh. Tenor Ben Landsverk also did a fine job as the male alto in the trio of the Charpentier, but his voice lacked power, and Applegate and bass Joe Theissen appeared to hold back to not overwhelm him.

The instrumentalists were exemplary. Among the soloists were flutist Gregoire Jeay and recorder player Francis Colpron – featured in Georg Philipp Telemann’s E Minor Concerto for Recorder and Flute, a captivating piece for its blend of timbres and vigorous spirit – and the skillful Baroque trumpeter John Thiessen. The rest of the ensemble was, like the chorus, unified and keenly responsive; their was period performance of the highest order.