C armel Bach Festival conductor Paul Goodwin is fascinated by those Russian Matryoshka dolls that nest, one inside the other.
The artistry of these intriguing creations is often elaborate and surprising, as is the placing of the maestro's Carmel Commissions inside the music of the Bach Festival. The composer of this year's commission, a famous countertenor, and a virtuosic mandolin duo join the ensemble this year as special guest artists.
Last season's commission by composer John Corigliano was embedded in a suite of Bach sinfonias that Goodwin arranged for his inaugural festival concert. This summer the nesting of the new composition goes deeper. American composer Curt Cacioppo's "Midsummer Air" is being inserted into a Bach orchestral suite that is itself being planted into a Handel oratorio about Alexander the Great, to be performed Sunday afternoons at the festival.
Goodwin says the new Carmel Commission "is set to astonish Carmel listeners with its breadth of color and relaxed jazz style. The effect is to be like flying in a glider over Big Sur, looking down and seeing dolphins pop up from the water."
Cacioppo will be in Carmel during the festival for the premiere of his new work. A lecturer in the festival's "Music and Ideas" series, he will present a free public talk Monday afternoons at 4 called "Channeling Music for the New Millennium.
Inspiration for his works comes from many sources: nature, art, Italian literature and architecture, native
For his composing, Cacioppo has received a lifetime achievement award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Countertenor
Another exciting feature of the festival this summer is the appearance of world-renowned virtuoso Bach countertenor, Robin Blaze. Blaze will be singing in Bach's "B Minor Mass," Handel's "Alexander's Feast," and will also offer a solo concert during the festival.
Associate conductor Andrew Megill says of Blaze, "He is a really phenomenal Bach singer who has appeared with the most highly regarded Bach conductors in the world. He is one of their go-to altos."
Countertenors sing in the alto-soprano range traditionally associated with female singers. In recent decades, exceptional male singers in the high range have become sought after, especially for early music repertoire. Blaze, who hails from Britain, is known for his bravura technique and "singing of rare grace, poise, economy, and sweetness." The term "heart-stopping" has described his performance in the "B Minor Mass."
Goodwin explains that in the 17th and 18th centuries all the important church and cathedral choirs in Europe used only male voices and that much of the music, certainly Bach's, was based on the sound of the male voice. He says, "To use a mature boy alto in baroque church music would be the ideal, but is a rare occurrence. To use a countertenor is to get closer to that sound world, particularly if the countertenor has a pure and beautiful voice such as Robin Blaze's."
Blaze will perform at the Thursday "Twilight Bach" concerts at 5 p.m. July 19 and 26. The "B Minor Mass" will be performed ag 8 p.m. Saturday July 14 and 21. On Sunday afternoons Blaze will appear in the program "The Power of Music, Old and New."
Bluegrass Bach
The festival's popular Thursday night crossover concerts showcase artists from other disciplines who share a love of Bach. This year's features Bach and bluegrass. Mandolin duo Mike Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg have reputations as highly accomplished and versatile players in the United States and Europe. They will be appearing with members of the festival orchestra in a program of Bach, Vivaldi, Bluegrass, and Bulgarian folk music. Crossover Thursdays take place at 8 p.m. on July 19 and 26.
For tickets and more information on the Carmel Bach Festival, call 831-624-1521 or visit www.bachfestival.org.
For more by Barbara Rose Shuler visit her website at www.barbarasbest.com.
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