Music and Dance Reviews : Curtain Falls on Corona del Mar Baroque Festival

A number of nervous moments marked the first half of the final concert at the Corona del Mar Baroque Festival. By intermission, the worst was over, and the second half went smoothly.

More than smoothly, splendidly. Led by founder Burton Karson, the forces of the 1988 festival--an accomplished and well-grounded, ad-hoc chorus of 26 singers, and a most promising Baroque orchestra led by concertmaster Peter Marsh--produced genuine music-making in tightly focused, joyous performances of two pieces by Handel, the Concerto Grosso in E minor, Opus 6, No. 3, and the “Utrecht Jubilate” of 1713.

But that shaky pre-intermission Sunday night left a bad taste. Overscheduling and underrehearsing were clearly at fault, but one wondered why such mistakes had to happen.

The plan looked viable on paper: Albinoni’s Magnificat in G minor and Bach’s Cantata No. 112 framed this half-program; in between, a violin concerto by Albinoni and a harpsichord concerto by Bach provided the filling.

In the event, it became too much. The charming, brief but substantial Magnificat proved more than an overture, but came out only half-baked, a read-through more than a performance. The B-flat Violin Concerto (Opus 9, No. 1), vigorously and stylishly performed by soloist Marsh, emerged on a plateau of professionalism the Magnificat did not achieve.

Malcolm Hamilton was the authoritative protagonist in Bach’s A-major Concerto, but had problems of projection in the small but acoustically unhelpful chancel of Saint Michael and All Angels Church, atop the hill overlooking Newport Beach. More than that, Hamilton seemed to have no point of contact with conductor Karson, who appeared to avoid the soloist’s glance.

The result was disjointed at best. For the entirety of the opening movement, harpsichord and instrumental ensemble seemed to be in different parts of the planet; moreover, and throughout, the solo line seldom cut through the orchestral fabric. No blood was spilled, and all ended together, but this was not a happy performance.

After intermission, wonderful soloism predominated. Debbie Cree, Gregory Wait and Christopher Lindbloom brought musical energy and opulent sounds to the “Jubilate” (earlier, Jennifer Smith had been the bright, solid soprano soloist in the cantata). And Marsh, with violinist Tamsen Beseke Brenton, cellist Richard Treat, and Hamilton on harpsichord, comprised the concertino-team in the irresistible E-minor work.