NOTEWORTHY/Chestnut Hill LOCAL by Michael Caruso for 3/5/2009

'JUDAS MACCABEUS'

Those of us who adore the music of George Frideric Handel almost as much as we revere the music of Johann Sebastian Bach often find oursevles, in effect, taking dares when it comes to performances. Given the opportunity of hearing a work in concert that we've only previously encountered on recording, most of us will take the plunge and the chance to hear it "live" even if a great rendition isn't even nearly guaranteed.

This is why I found myself in the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater Friday night to hear Valentin Radu lead the Ama Deus Ensemble perform Handel's oratorio, "Judas Maccadeus." I was more than a little wary because Radu's most recent outing with Handel's music -- a purported "Candlemas" concert in St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill on February 7 -- was less than satisfying. But this time around, Radu and his forces -- including Roxborough harpsichordist Bronwyn Fix-Keller -- acquited themselves more than honorably if not quite spectacularly.

Although "Judas Maccabeus" features some lovely arias and duets, it's in its 16 choruses that its finest music is found. Representing the people of Israel as they gather around their hero, Judas Maccabues, as he leads them against their oppressors, these choruses display Handel's incredible gifts of melody, harmony, counterpoint, orchestration and overall structural command. They're uniformly masterful and inspiring. When you add on the exemplary vocal writing of the smaller ensembles, you find a major work that most assuredly deserves far more frequent programing than it receives here in America.

Radu is not a particularly expressive conductor. He often thrusts his left hand -- the one most conductors use for expression while the right hand keeps the tempo -- into his trouser pocket, so that lack of sensitivity came as no surprise Friday night. And early on in the performance, he favored tempi that were too slow for his singers and instrumentalists to sustain. But by the second and third parts of "Judas Maccabeus," he was eliciting exciting singing from his choir, some good playing from his baroque orchestra, and several excellent performances from his soloists.

Chief among these was tenor Timothy Bentch, who sang the oratorio's title role. Bentch was in fine voice Friday evening. His projection was exemplary, his tone was clear yet unforced, his high notes rang with clarion brilliance yet he employed soft singing to telling dramatic effect, his diction was excellent, and he embellished the vocal line with stylistically appropriate bravura and emotionally compelling expressivity. Although bass Ed Bara bellowed mercilessly as Simon, the High Priest, soprano Andrea Lauren Brown sang with tonal beauty and dramatic exuberance as the Israelitish woman. Alto Tatyana Rashkovsky, tenor Dana Wilson and baritone Richard Shapp rounded out the vocal cast admirably. Among the instrumentalists, Fix-Keller's fine playing was joined by flutists Colin St. Martin & Steven Zohn, cellist Vivian Barton-Dozer and trumpeter Elin Frazier. [emphasis added]

Many of the same forces will return to the Perelman Theater on Friday, March 27, at 8 p.m. for a performance of Mozart's Requiem Mass.

CHAMBER MUSIC

Although the full Philadelphia Orchestra won't return to the stage of the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall until this coming weekend, I had the chance to hear several groupings of its individual members play chamber music Sunday afternoon in the Perelman Theater. Of the program's four works, the most substantial was Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 4 in E minor. It was performed by violinists Paul Roby & Amy Oshiro, violist Kerri Ryan and cellist John Koen.

Mendelssohn's Fourth String Quartet may not come from that incredibly fertile early period in his life, when he turned out most his his masterpieces, but it's nonetheless a work of masterful structure, eloquent expression and exquisite elegance. Its four movements form a convincing arch of development. The first is energetic, the second fanciful, the third lyrical and the fourth commanding. All four players gave it a noteworthy reading. Roby played with a singing tone and expert phrasing and Oshiro supported his efforts beautifully. Ryan elicited a memorably well-rounded tone from her instrument while Koen proffered a strongly substantiated bass line.

Roby and Koen were joined by guest pianist Charles Abramovic for the recital's opening work, Schumann's Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor. Here their efforts were sonically overwhelmed by Abramovic's playing. There was just too much volume of sound coming from this Steinway & Sons concert grand for much of Roby's and Koen's playing to be appreciated. Balance is always a problem in chamber music, especially with ensembles who don't play together regularly and frequently. This time around, it was a very big problem, indeed.

After intermission, trumpter David Bilger, Angela Zator Nelson and guest pianist Susan Norwicki played George Fenton's "Five Parts of the Dance" and clarinetist Ricardo Morales, bassoonist Daniel Matsukawa, hornist Jeffrey Lang, violinist Paul Arnold and double bassist Neil Courtney played a chamber version of Strauss' "Til Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks."

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