SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Handel: Ian Bostridge (tenor), Northern Sinfonia/Bradley Creswick, The Sage, Gateshead/Newcastle upon Tyne, 27.2.2009 (JL)

Comfort ye my people and Every valley shall be exalted: ‘Messiah’
Concerto Grosso op.3 no.2
Wher’er you walk, cool gales shall fan the glade: ‘Semele’Waft her, angels, through the skies: ‘Jephtha’
Concerto Grosso op.6, no.12
Overture: ‘Ariodante’
Scherza infida in grembo al drudo: ‘Ariodante’
Act 2 Ballet Music: ‘Ariodante’
Love sounds th’alarm: ‘Acis and Galatea’


This concert inaugurated a programme of Handel’s vocal and orchestral music that is to tour Europe, performed by the promising partnership of Ian Bostridge (described in his fansite as “ the World’s finest specimen of tenorhood”) and the Northern Sinfonia under its leader, Bradley Creswick. It represents a contribution to the 250^th anniversary of Handel's  death .

There was something of a mini-Handelfest about the programme which consisted of a balanced mixture of vocal extracts from opera/oratorio (not all originally written for male tenor) and two complete concerti grossi. The splendid Messiah overture suitably opened proceedings, acting as a prelude to Bostridge’s rendering of “Comfort ye my people”). The tenor’s intensely lyrical voice blended well with the orchestra in this moving music and the fast next piece, “Every valley shall be exalted” showed that Bostridge could also turn out strings of virtuoso semi-quavers. However, I did sense a little stiffness as things were only beginning to warm up. This might be something to do with the fact that before the concert I observed a rather harassed looking Bostridge arriving at the concert hall dangerously close to kick-off time.

The Opus 3 Concerto Grosso was one that Handel knocked up quickly, rehashing some music from other works, a not uncommon practice in those days, especially with Handel. However, there were great moments within, particularly the second movement largo which is basically an oboe solo that shows off the composer’s endlessly resourceful melodic gifts. The Northern Sinfonia is blessed with some outstanding players and Roy Carter, a former Philharmonia and ENO principal, played immaculately and movingly.

After that little rest, Bostridge sang the famous “Where’er you walk” from Semele, proving he was beginning to relax and by the time he sang the great “Waft her, angels, through the skies” the tenor was displaying a degree of emotional expressiveness that few can match.

After the interval the orchestra played what many regard as Handel’s finest orchestral work, the final Concerto Grosso from his op.6 set. It offset the previous op.3 concerto well, consisting of new (as opposed to re-worked) music of inspiration and superb craftmanship. Amazingly it was written at great speed not long after the composer had suffered a stroke. The work concludes with an invigorating fugue, the subject of which was pinched from another composer, the playing led with characteristic élan by Bradley Creswick, the orchestra now beginning to fly.

There followed substantial extracts from the opera Ariodante culminating in one of Handel’s most extraordinary arias, “Scherza infida”. Prince Ariodante believes his love, Ginevra, has been unfaithful and expresses his mental agony in long anguished melodic phrases while a bassoon weaves gloomilly around the textures of muted strings and pizzicato bass. Stephen Reay (another distinguished player who guest principals with the Philharmonia, LSO and others) played the bassoon with breathtaking control and expressiveness, supporting Bostridge’s unique vocal intensity to produce Handel performance of superb distinction. The audience “bravos” at the finish were spontaneous.

Ian Bostridge’s voice is not particularly great in range with either decibels or pitch. He is never going to shatter a chandelier and the lowest notes require careful nurturing to get down there. But his unerring phrasing, emotional expressiveness, silky lyrical sound and overall musical integrity means that he can be unparalleled in much repertoire such as lieder singing.

The final piece on the programme was “Love sounds the alarm” from Acis and Galatea. It allowed us to recover somewhat from the emotion of Ariodante.

The performance of the Bostridge/Northern Sinfonia/Creswick partnership can only get better and shortly there will be Poles and Germans (not, unfortunately any more British) in for a little baroque musical feast.

John Leeman


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