Large Assemblage Applauds an Almost Exclusively George Friederic Handel Program
By GEORGE B. PAROUS
We have said before that Chatham Baroque consistently offers attractive programs, whether they are performing, or, like yesterday afternoon, presenting guest artists. Either way, early and entrancing music is guaranteed. Yesterday’s guests were no exception, when the Twelfth Night Ensemble performed their Love & Laurels program, a collection of pleasing George Frideric Handel works. The ensemble is made up by the talents of Rachell Ellen Wong, violin and direction; David Belkovski, harpsichord and direction; Carmen Lavada Johnson-Pájaron violin; Ben Matus, bassoon; Pablo O’Connell, oboe; Andrew Gonzalez, viola; Nola Richardson, soprano and Roderick Williams OBE, baritone. The Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside was probably a third full, and anyone familiar with the size of the church knows that means a lot of people heard, and vigorously applauded, a great concert.
Roderick Williams OBE, Baritone
The program notes tell us that, founded in 2021, Twelfth Night is an ensemble led by keyboardist David Belkovski and violinist Rachell Ellen Wong. Based in New York City, Mr. Belkovski and Ms. Wong are regarded as key – and young – representatives of early music. Ms. Wong is the only baroque artist to receive an Avery Fisher Career Grant, while Mr. Belkovski is the first recipient in the early music field to receive the Levinson Arts Achievement Award. This is not the first time their ensemble has performed with Chatham Baroque, and they’ve been hosted in concert series from Tucson and Reno, Nashville and New York, and other venues nationwide.
The program, in two parts, started with Handel’s overture from Partenope, then Georg Philipp Telemann’s Sonata à 4 in A Minor, TWV 43:a5 was played. Telemann’s sonata may be the only “non-Handel” piece on the program, but the two men were friends. The first part ended with “Qual farfalletta,” from Partenope, taking us back to the Handel work that opened the program. The second half was devoted to the overture from Alcina, a thrilling opera, and ended with Handel’s cantata, Apollo e Dafne, where the vocalists best shined.
The instrumentalists played from beginning to end with an air of charm and grace, the twin requisites of baroque music. Sonata or support for the vocal soloists, their playing was – and there’s no other way to describe it – exquisite. The acoustic properties of Calvary are perfectly suited to Chatham Baroque. I moved a few times trying to detect any difference, and the sound was as beautiful up front as in the farthest pews. The singers especially made the best of this advantage.
And what singers they were. It’s easy to understand why Roderick Williams is such an in demand baritone, with a repertoire that spans baroque to contemporary. He has a warm and powerful dramatic voice, and phrases neatly and distinctly. He was a featured soloist at the coronation of King Charles III, and is known to major opera houses in the U.K. and Europe. He has extensive concert and recital experience, and is the composer of performed works. It comes as no surprise that he was awarded the Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 2017. We can only hope he finds his way back to Pittsburgh again.
Nola Richardson, Soprano
Nola Richardson sang with one of the most beautiful soprano voices heard here in recent years. Well placed and completely under her control, her voice is pure, ringing and fresh, and she appears so young that many successful years of her career are in her future. The New York Times thinks that she is an “especially impressive” soprano; the Washington Post has been impressed with her “particularly appealing freshness and directness.” Both papers described what I heard yesterday.
There have been occasions when I’ve had experiences with other audience members that I, to the best of my knowledge – or memory – have never mentioned or considered notable. Yesterday’s concert changed that. I plopped myself into a pew where there was space for me and a decent amount of room between a woman who might have been expecting someone. I read as much of the program as I could, then went to place it on my left. There was already a program on my left, and the woman quickly indicated I was taking her program. I turned and instantly realized I was looking at Pascale Beaudin, the gifted soprano I’ve been pleased to hear and write about on a number of occasions. I quickly grabbed my own program to prove I wasn’t trying grand larceny, and the only words I could think of were “I think you have a wonderful voice.” We weren’t introduced until the intermission, when Scott Pauley, her husband (and Chatham Baroque’s theorbo and baroque guitar player), who sat next to me, got up for the stretch. If I had a pen I’d have asked for autographs.
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