Celebration of music at the Festival
On July 15, the Teclats Hall of the Museum of Music was the stage for one of the most exceptional concerts of the current edition of the Bachcelona Festival. During its journey through the cantatas of the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach, the Bachcelona Consort, together with the soloists who benefited from the Salvat Bach Scholarship, presented cantatas numbers 107 and 113 in an intimate and charming performance.
Outstanding voices on stage
The same vocalists who had dazzled the public days before with the Magnificat at the Palau de la Música were the ones who performed the extraordinary arias, rich in beauty and complexity. The German countertenor Matthias Dähling and the Japanese soprano Maine Takeda emerged as the main protagonists of the evening. Dähling’s homogeneous voice stood out especially during the chorale “Erbarm dich” from Cantata BWV 113, where he demonstrated impressive control of vibrato, handling long, sustained notes with ambiguity between simplicity and deep musicality.
The artistic expression of Maine Takeda
For his part, Maine Takeda once again delighted with an extremely pure vocal line, enhancing a melody that evoked both suffering and full spirituality. In particular, his interpretation of the famous aria “Qui tollis” from the Mass in B major BWV 234 became a kind of musical meditation that filled the environment with its essence without falling into stridency. It is worth highlighting the excellent accompaniment provided by flutist David Gutiérrez, whose subtlety masterfully united the two melodic lines in an almost ethereal spiral.
Individual performances and the power of the duo
Although both Dähling and Takeda proved exceptional in their individual performances, their collaboration in the duet “Ach Herr, mein Gott” proved to be a sublime moment. The voices were intertwined in an authentic work of art, creating a melodic filigree full of finesse and harmony.
Challenges in tenor and bass playing
Tenor Marc Garcia, although he showed a beautiful voice, seemed to lack the necessary strength in his interpretation of the aria “Wenn auch gleich” from Cantata BWV 107, highlighting his youth and perhaps some degree of inexperience in the face of the challenge they represent. Bach’s cantatas. Similarly, bass Charlie Baigent presented an indistinct timbre and a rather sparse low register, which limited his ability to provide the authority that would be expected in arias written for his voice, particularly in the chorales where the solo quartet acted as chorus.
Magnificent instrumental performances
The Bachcelona Consort offered an instrumental part full of subtleties and nuances, in which each instrument participated in a clear way in a sound dialogue that invited reflection and enjoyment. Under the direction of harpsichordist Daniel Tarrida, the ensemble not only demonstrated its mastery of the repertoire, but also gave the audience the opportunity to experience the intricacies of the German master’s contrapuntal writing.
A musical project worthy of admiration
The initiative to carry out the complete set of Bach cantatas is a project that deserves the highest praise, giving attendees the opportunity to exhaustively immerse themselves in the various cycles that the great composer has bequeathed to posterity, all this in interpretations of exceptional musical quality.
