Myths Contested
The Contest Between Phoebus and Pan by J.S. Bach
A New Song by Trevor Weston
Washington Bach Consort
Dana Marsh, conductor
ACIS, $18.99
This album offers some of the most delightful music I’ve heard in a long time. The exquisite performances are simply a joy to hear. All the more for fans of choral singing, vocal solos, high Baroque and/or new music. Yet the concept is also compelling: what makes for good music; what makes a meaningful message?
The first of these explorations is old. J.S. Bach’s drama premiered nearly 300 years ago with a story from Ovid. In it, Pan challenges Phoebus (Apollo) to a musical duel, pitting Pan’s pipes against Apollo’s harp. In the end, sweet sophistication wins out over rustic vitality and one judge, poor old King Midas, is punished for preferring Pan. His ears are changed into those of a donkey! The libretto comforts, however, noting many people are eager to join him in making judgments with unintelligence and unreason.
This story inspired from Bach and librettist C.F. Henrici 15 movements for six voices and chamber orchestra, giving every soloist an aria, in addition to various recitatives and choruses. Soprano Sherezade Panthaki skips brightly in “Das Macht Der Wind” (translated as “This Is Boasting”). Paul Max Tipton, bass, brings ravishing beauty to Phoebus’s prize song “Mit Verlangen” (“With Longing”). Ian Pomerantz, tenor, competes as Pan with “Zu Tanze, Zu Sprunge” (“With Dancing, With Skipping”), animated grace in each lively line.
Declaring for Phoebus, tenor Jacob Perry Jr. shows amazing vocal prowess and dramatic skill in perhaps the work’s finest aria. Countertenor Patrick Kilbride charms as Midas, navigating with aplomb the tricky passages of “Pan Ist Meister” (“Pan Is Champion”). Sarah Davis Issaelkhoury, mezzo-soprano, mesmerizes in “Aufgeblasne Hitze” (“Puffed-up Ardor”), her commanding voice and fine musicality a perfect foil for the aria’s quivering winds. Speaking of which, the whole chamber orchestra is first-rate.
In A New Song, American star composer Trevor Weston plumbs further with 21st-century questions about music’s meaning and function. His words and notes infuse this rumination with energy and spirit, concluding with “Hear Life.” Kudos to Washington Bach Consort for commissioning a modern cantata, using the same forces as the Bach piece.
Lively choruses begin and end the work; intervening movements include a splendid trio and an aria for each of the three solo singers. “My Song” laments ignored voices, but Issaelkhoury’s adroit delivery shifts effortlessly from pathos to confidence. Panthaki again reigns sovereign with clear, luminous lines in “Every Story.” The vigorous “Emotion Moves Me” features Perry’s agility and radiant tone. Sensitive direction from conductor Dana Marsh keeps the ensemble cohesive, with incisive instruments complementing the sung text. A big tip of the hat to Weston; Bach is a tough act to follow, but he pulls it off masterfully.
So we have here both a fine, fun old cantata that deserves repeated hearing and a wonderful, substantial addition to the vocal repertoire. Although critics are supposed to come up with something to criticize, this time I cannot. It’s hard to imagine either work receiving a more captivating performance.
