Cantata's Lenten concert succeeds on most levels

The Cantata Singers' Lenten concert on Sunday offered two Bach cantatas, three Bruckner motets and short pieces by Mozart and Purcell.

The evening got underway with the Bruckner motets, Christus factus est, O justi and Ave Maria. Conductor Gerald Wirth led the Bruckner motets, the a capella gems Christus factus est, O justi and Ave Maria, with great understanding and the choir contributed a balanced, well-tuned sound and flexibility of phrasing that served the enterprise well.

One of Bach's most affecting cantatas, Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12, featured the singing of countertenor Michael Taylor, tenor Pascal Charbonneau and bass Bryan Eastabrooks, and the accompaniment of a contract orchestra called the Cantata Ensemble. The soloists were fairly reticent, though tenor Charbonneau projected well. Countertenor Taylor has an initially attractive voice which he needs to use with more flexibility and variety of colour. Bass Eastabrooks occasionally disappeared beneath the accompaniment and had a couple of glitches in his phrasing but, like the other young soloists, he has the basics and may become a fine singer in time.

The chorus was very solid. One might have disagreed with this interpretive point or that, but the performance succeeded on most levels.

After intermission the Central Children's Chamber Choir of Ottawa offered short pieces by Mozart, Purcell, and J.S. Bach. Conductor Wirth led the youngsters in really lovely performances. Although their singing wasn't letter perfect, it was truly beautiful.

The program concluded with a rousing, joyful account of Bach's cantata Himmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV 182. Despite a tiny bit of shouting, particularly from the sopranos, the choral work was pleasing, setting the stage perfectly for the life-affirming tone of the arias. The soloists presented themselves slightly better than in the other cantata. The Cantata Ensemble provided support that varied in quality, but was generally adequate.