On Feb. 4, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra performed a concert in Rothenberg Hall at The Huntington featuring: Triple Concerto BWV 1044, Ich Habe Genug BWV 82, Orchestral Suite in C major BWV 1066, and Triple Violin Concerto in D Major BWV 1064R.
The Sunday evening concert had sold out, but I wasn’t expecting a lot of people to show up given the major winter storm. Right before the concert began, cellphones started blaring with a flash flood warning from the National Weather Service. However, the room looked pretty full — heavy rain and gusty winds could not keep Bach fans away.
Bach wrote many of his concertos, with the exceptions of the Brandenburgs, for a relatively small orchestra consisting of just two violins, one viola, and one cello di ripieno, and the number of solo instruments would vary as seen in the Triple Concerto, where the harpsichord takes center stage while the violin (violino) and flute (flauto) concertato are a more accompanying role. Bach wrote for such a small orchestra because the harpsichord is a relatively tinny instrument and allows for close to no dynamic variation with the exception of stops, and most of his pieces (again, with the exception of his cantatas) were intended to be played at the small Zimmermann Coffeehouse, the orchestra of which he directed. The orchestra in this performance of the Triple Concerto, however, was enlarged by one or two instruments per section. With this addition, the harpsichord’s melodies were compromised until it got a cadenza or solo section without instruments. With that being said, the second and third movements were played the most seamlessly, the second movement having a rich discussion between the three solo instruments, and the third movement being a version of the head-banging fugal section of the prelude and fugue in a minor BWV 894 on which this concerto is based. Overall, this piece was a delight to listen to, and I hope more harpsichord concertos come to us in the future from LACO!
A small organ that looked like a podium-shaped block of wood at the back of the stage was wheeled forward during the short break between the Triple Concerto and the Cantata. I realized the air was probably being supplied by a foot pedal at the base of the instrument. During the recitative sections of Ich Habe Genug, the rich tone of the cello mixed with the airy organ and powerful yet beautiful basso singing of Dashon Burton created a heavenly feeling only Bach could create!
After a short intermission, we sat back down to face the giant orchestra only seen in the baroque era amongst the orchestral suites or Brandenburgs. The Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major is considered an elementary piece of Bach, having been written early on in his lifetime. It is not a popular piece amongst his other more famous works like the harpsichord or violin concertos. It consists of an overture and six other dance-based movements. Though it is considered an easy and unpopular piece of Bach’s, the large orchestra in comparison to the Triple Concerto certainly blasted us away with the gavotte and bourrée sections.
The Concerto for Three Violins was originally intended for three harpsichords, but was thought to originate from a concerto for three violins, and so it was reconstructed as shown by the R to the right of the BWV numbering. The first movement is a lively and classic Bach melody, the performance of which could not be altered for the better in my opinion, followed by a beautiful second movement in the relative minor. Both the second and third movements of the concerto are heavily focused on the bass section (continuo, bass and cello) to drive the piece forward with rich passages. This is where the enlarged orchestra that LACO brought to the venue came in handy, though I believe the bass still could have been stressed during those movements. The third movement was the best performed in my view: the three solo violins (Concertmaster Margaret Batjer, Jason Issokson and Misha Vayman) used rich tones and did not hold back on the multiple solo and cadenza-like passages near the end of the piece which I, and surely most other audience members, enjoyed.
This concert was a delight to listen to and enjoy, and LACO managed to take advantage of the small, intimate venue and large orchestra to blast every audience member away with Bach.
—Haydn David Schlinger, Culture Spot LA
For information about upcoming LACO concerts, visit https://www.laco.org.
Photo caption and credit:
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone, was the featured soloist with Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra pictured here performing Bach’s Ich Habe Genug as part of an all-Bach program on Feb. 3, 2024, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. The same program was presented on Feb. 4, at The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall in San Marino. PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Feinzimer