BY MYLES OAKEY
The Sacred Music of J.S Bach
Bach Akademie Australia
St Francis of Assisi’s Catholic Church, Sydney, 21 April
Confession: I’m currently going through a Bach phase.
Most musicians seem to, at some stage; perhaps through a period of discovery or a renewed interest after following paths elsewhere. If your experience is anything like mine, you might have come to know Bach through earphones or a car stereo. And that’s all good. But the moment I heard the sound of Bach Akademie Australia, I heard Bach with fresh ears. I heard a spacital depth, clarity, and timbre that carried with it an another level of complexity, richness, and effect I hadn’t yet experienced with Bach.
From the wings of Paddington’s St Francis of Assisi Church, the sound of the orchestra permeated the entire space. The soundstage had a transparency to it, extending vertically to the cathedral arches and wide through the naval. Out of this space, musical voices emerged and dissipated, overlapped and converged. Each instrument held its own character and clarity; and so the ear could follow, and so did the eyes, seeing, hearing, and feeling the complexity and humanism in Bach’s writing.
I felt I was watching the world’s best in Bach performance. I could sense an intensity of commitment embodied in their movements, and at particular moments I could feel every upbeat, breath, and bow. I watched eyes dart between musicians and the mimes and gestures of conductor Madeleine Easton as led with an observable intimacy and passion for the music.
For me, the moment of the night was hearing Daniel Yeadon and Neal Peres da Costa perform the adagio of the Viola da Gamba Sonata No. 3 in G minor BWV 1029. Viola da gamba and harpsichord, balanced with incredible dynamic sensitivity, and heightened to virtuosic moments of raw intensity. I was completely there, in the moment, jaw dropped halfway to the floor – these musicians can play!
Now plunged further into my Bach phase, I do wonder why a younger audience was underrepresented. I know you Bach-lovers are out there. The Bach Akademie Australia has stated its ambition to enrich early music culture in Australia. If that’s something we want, we ought to think about getting out and offering our support to these ensembles, because they have so much to offer in return.
Read more about the founding of Bach Akademie Australia in Myles’ interview with Madeleine Easton.
Images supplied.
