Francesco Durante: Magnificat
Domenico Scarlatti: Magnificat
Antonio Vivaldi: Et exulta vit
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Quia respexit
John Rutter: Quia fecit
John Rutter: Et misericordia
Johann Sebastian Bach: Et misericordia
Alessandro Scarlatti: Fecit potentiam
Alessandro Scarlatti: Deposuit
Antonio Vivaldi: Deposuit
Antonio Vivaldi: Esurientes
John Rutter: Esurientes
Francesco Durante: Gloria and Sicut erat
Music Director and conductor: Isabelle Fallot
Until last Saturday evening, it had been an awfully long time since I had listened to any kind—let alone my kind—of live music at all, and while enjoying countless historic, artistic and culinary marvels, as well as the occasional company of dear friends, at various stops between Naples and Aix-en-Provence had kept me happily busy, it had not quite made up for the steadily growing frustration. In fact, I almost felt that the otherwise truly lovely city of Verona was making a point of mercilessly teasing me as I was watching its famous arena getting ready for its equally famous summer opera festival while (admittedly) indulging in la dolce vita at a cafe on its sprawling piazza Bra.
Fast-forward a couple of weeks ago. As I was perusing the local upcoming events advertised on various boards scattered in Dieulefit, where I am visiting my mom, I excitedly noticed a flyer advertising a concert dedicated to the Magnificat canticle, also known as the “Song of Mary” or “Canticle of Mary”, in the town’s Protestant temple. Granted, it would start at the ungodly time of 9:00 PM, but then again, it was really close by, and beggars cannot be choosers anyway. On top of it, the concert would also be an opportunity for me to check out its interior, which is usually off-limits.
In the end, I had the chance to take a peek the day before the concert as it was open for the rehearsal. Although it was kind of predictable, I was still taken aback by its resolute bareness, especially after the extravagant glamour I am used to in Italian catholic churches. But I also figured that it would encourage the audience to focus on the music and nothing else, which was a good thing. When one has the good fortune of being in the presence of local favorites Ensemble Vocal Altaïr and Quatuor Grazioso, the least one can do is pay attention to them.
My mom has been complaining about the cavernous space’s poor acoustics ever since she started attending concerts there, about a quarter of a century ago, and while it did not take me long to realize that she was not wrong, the temple’s convenient location, appropriate size and welcoming atmosphere nevertheless made it a more than acceptable venue for performances. Even better, early birds get to catch not a worm, but a soft cushion that will help them put up with the benches’ hard surface. And that’s just what we did before grabbing prime spots among neighbors and friends.
The concert unexpectedly started with an exquisite performance of Johann Pachelbel’s beloved Canon in D Major by Quatuor Grazioso. Although Pachelbel’s biggest hit by far originally appeared half-way in the original written program, the last-minute change quickly proved to be a smart move since it enabled the singers to walk from the back of the temple to the stage down each side aisle to the sound of this classic among classics. All that was missing was a bride walking down an aisle as well!
Such an otherworldly beautiful introduction was always going to be a tough act to follow, but the Altaïr ensemble led by its intrepid music director Isabelle Fallot went right down to business, after a short introduction by the maestra herself, which was unfortunately hard to decipher due to the microphone and some dreadful resonance. But it did not matter. We were there for the music, and we were about to get a very satisfying dose of it.
Curated with utmost care and performed with infectious enthusiasm, the intermission-free set of various excerpts from various versions of the Magnificat, all coming to us from different epochs and countries, ended up being not only a real treat to the ears, but a fascinating comparative study as well. To me, the most interesting case was probably the “Et misericordia” aria, whose highly refined Baroque German version by Johann Sebastian Bach proudly stood up to the more muscular modern English take by John Rutter.
I was also looking forward to hearing Isabelle Fallot who, besides busily fulfilling the job of the choir’s leader, wears many other distinguished hats, including the one of accomplished soprano. And sure enough, her solo in Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s “Quia respexit” and her duo with another talented woman singer for Antonio Vivaldi’s “Esurientes” turned out to be undisputed highlights of an evening that counted many.
We had been asked to refrain from clapping between the numbers and we had dutifully kept quiet, but once the concert had gone full circle with Francesco Durante, who had opened the singing part of the program with an uplifting “Magnificat” and closed it with a no-holds-barred “Gloria and Sicut erat”, we were not ready to let the artists go just yet and loudly let them know. So, they treated us to a delightful voice version of Pachelbel’s Canon, which did not quite turn into the sing-along Fallot was hoping for, but still wrapped up this enchanted musical evening on a festive note.
