O.C. MUSIC REVIEW : Irvine Polishes Up Rare Baroque Gems

After a year’s hiatus, the Irvine Camerata resumed operations Wednesday night in Irvine Barclay Theatre with an ambitious concert devoted to neglected Baroque music.

In the process, conductor Robert Hickok, known for his adventuresome bent in this repertory, unearthed three gems by English composer John Blow (1649-1708).

Colorful, florid, dramatic and wonderfully melodic, these works by Blow proved deserving of a more central place in our musical diet. They are immediate in their appeal.

“Blessed Is the Man,” for instance, a setting in English of Psalm I for four male soloists, chorus and strings, closely interweaves its solo voices like some ancient barbershop quartet until, on the text’s denouement, the chorus jumps in with a lively jig.

“Awake, Awake, My Lyre!” is in itself a mini-drama: A setting of a poem on the powers of music by Abraham Cowley for tenor, chorus and strings, it vividly conveys the text in rugged rhythms and poignant lyricism.

The massive ode, “Triumphant Fame,” for a large instrumental contingent, five soloists and chorus, reveals Blow a tunefully ceremonious composer, and a resourceful word painter, as in his singular use of a trio of sopranos and countertenor to depict the warbling Echo.

In this context, Alessandro Scarlatti’s “Audi Filia” seemed merely a typical example of Baroque craftsmanship (as opposed to artistry), though its solo parts, for two sopranos and countertenor, offered grateful opportunities for melismatic display. Bach’s Magnificat closed the rather too-generous program.

The performances showed a strong commitment by all involved: this despite under-projected character in certain passages and some scrappiness here and there. Still, Hickok enforced incisive detail in both the orchestra and chorus, and balances remained clear throughout.

The soloists--sopranos Jennifer Smith and Kerry O’Brien, countertenor Drew Minter, tenor Bruce Johnson and bass Kenneth Knight--dispatched their parts ably and expressively.

The 28-member Camerata sang with compact power, clear but never precious enunciation and clean lines. The busy and exemplary trumpeters were Alfred Lang, David Washburn and Timothy Hall. In all, a fine new beginning.