4 1/2 stars

A big crowd assembled last night at City Recital Hall for the final night of Australian Haydn Ensemble’s “Heavenly Sopranos” tour. The audience were treated to a superb baroque music concert with a program hand picked to highlight the talents of two guest singers, soprano Celeste Lazarenko and mezzo-soprano Helen Sherman.

A perfect length for a great evening of music, the program featured three items of varying length in the first half followed by the stunning and very popular “Stabat Mater” after interval by the young composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi.

The sopranos, dressed in high contrasting textures in red and black, joined the musicians from the very beginning of the concert. Artistic Director Skye McIntosh lead the ensemble in excerpts from an oratorio by Hasse “Sanctus Petrus et Sancta Maria”. This work was written for Ospedale degli Incurabili in Venice, a building originally designed as a hospital in the 1500s but, by the 1700s, had changed purpose to become an orphanage. With few career opportunities for orphans, a thorough education in music was a great way to encourage the young women into the theatre.

Although the work features Saint Peter and Mary Magdalena expressing their grief over the crucifixion, it is written for soprano and alto to accommodate the orphans. The technique required to perform this work is not for beginners, particularly the mezzo part – one assumes the composer wrote for specific singers. Both sopranos handled this work with aplomb pouring out their grief and Sherman attacking her more aggressive parts of the score with confidence and accuracy.

Two movements from Concerto no. 1 by Durante (the tutor of Pergolesi) were instrumental only. The first movement was executed with great control and gentleness whilst the Allegro had more bite.

Lazarenko returned to the ensemble for a truly delightful motet by Hasse “Alta Nubes Illustrata” roughly describing sunlight illuminating a cloud. Here she relaxed into the work and allowed the joy of the vision to touch everyone in the recital hall all the way to the back rows.

Second half of the performance

After interval, all returned for the main work of the evening, Pergolesi’s magnificent “Stabat Mater”. We don’t hear many of Pergolesi’s works because he passed away from TB at the tender age of 26 (we lament, if only he had lived longer). In the early 1700s, this work was considered so magnificent, even JS Bach used parts of it in his own works. “Borrowing” from the works of others was not unusual at the time but, as you can imagine, for the great JS Bach to borrow it confirms how brilliant it really was. (If you want your own copy, the work has been recorded many times from the 1950s onward.)

The ensemble – singers and musicians – worked perfectly together in tempi, pitch and emotion. A faultless performance, Lazarenko and Sherman projected the intricacies of the text and score with great communication and musicality. We are very lucky to witness the performance at the end of the tour where, not only were the players well and truly familiar with the work but, additional passion, focus and intensity was added for that “one last time” performance.

The audience were very appreciative of the concert overall demanding several curtain calls. Outstanding work from the Australian Haydn Ensemble!

Watch out for their next tour in June 2024 featuring the world’s most recognised classical music piece, Beethoven’s 5th Symphony performing in Southern Highlands, Port Macquarie, Canberra, Berry, Wollongong and Sydney.

If you are not able to attend in the June concerts, the ensemble have a new album and DVD being released on 24 May this year. Check their website after this date to buy your copy.

Related Links

Australian Haydn Ensemble upcoming concerts: https://www.australianhaydn.com.au/events/beethovens-fifth
CDs and DVDs available here: https://www.australianhaydn.com.au/recordings
Concerts at City Recital hall: https://www.cityrecitalhall.com/whats-on/