MUSIC REVIEWS : Master Chorale Sings Bach in Newport

There is little doubt that William Hall is one of the most effective choirmasters in the business.

He wants a certain kind of sound. The singers give it to him. He wants accurate intonation. The singers comply. He wants his chorus to imbue the music with rhythm, drive and irrepressible momentum. The singers--all 110 of them--do just that and more; an observer can see that the members of the Master Chorale of Orange County are as enthusiastic about the music and the performance as the conductor is.

The music in this case was by Bach; the performance was the Chorale’s Saturday evening program at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach. In three seasonal cantatas (BWV 191, 62 and 63), the chorus projected with vibrant energy and without stridency, maintaining judicious balances at all times.

Hall insists on clear enunciation and clean releases; the singers obeyed with alacrity--so much, in fact, that unvoiced consonants hit like gunshots.

All four soloists sang with taste and musicality. Contralto Janet Smith produced a full, penetrating sound and delivered her words with dramatic urgency. Soprano Jennifer Bodenweber, aside from minor pitch problems, sang fluently and with sweet-toned clarity.

The men, who had more solo work to do, exhibited less consistency. Tenor Steve Dunham produced a pure, warm and very pleasant, though not particularly large, sound. He delivered his lines with apparent conviction, though he sometimes approached high notes tentatively, giving an impression of insecurity.

Bass Wade Wilson improved as the evening progressed. Early on, it appeared that high notes were dangerous territory, but by his final recitative he sang with authority and produced a full, ringing tone.

The Master Chorale Orchestra provided spirited accompaniment that was not always very accurate. Muddled string passages and inarticulate releases dogged much of the music, though the oboes and trumpets deserve credit for a job well done.

In two orchestral sinfonias, the organ playing of Ladd Thomas dominated to an inordinate degree and probably made it difficult for the other players to hear one another.

Hall gave Thomas two opportunities to serve as soloist. The organist capitalized on the capacities of the church’s 99-rank organ in delivering two settings of “In Dulci Jubilo” and the Pastorale in F, BWV 590. It was the Pastorale that most impressed, with Thomas’ intelligent and varied choices of registration, his clarity of line and his sure-fire accuracy.