Boston Classical Review

A smart pairing of Mozart and Haydn with a Telemann rarity by artistic  director Jonathan Cohen produced an unusually unified and rewarding concert by the Handel and Haydn Society  Friday night at a nearly full Jordan Hall.

For the adventurous aficionado, the main interest of the program was the opportunity to hear a genuine curio, Telemann’s Ino, in its H&H debut. This dramatic cantata stands at a crossroads: a Baroque composer writing near the end of his life, near the start of the Classical era. Yet the vocal fluency and operatic approach to the musical storytelling are surprising and striking, with such qualities largely hidden from Telemann’s voluminous output. This rarity was performed for the first time with the Handel and Haydn Society, humorously involving the rental of the score from Europe for the occasion.

Ino recounts the end of the life of Dionysus’s caregiver, entering the story mid-myth. Fleeing Hera’s wrath, the titular narrator throws herself and her son from a cliff before being rescued and transformed into a sea goddess. Telemann’s compositional reach in his eighties feels remarkably youthful in this piece, particularly in the fast-moving recitativo accompagnato sections where much of the drama unfolds.

It was in this Telemann writing that soprano soloist Carolyn Sampson was at her most emotive, expressive, and dynamic. The brisk German text lent urgency, with bright consonants and forward placement carrying her colorful, radiant tone. Vocal fireworks were reliably on display, and there was a noticeable ease to her singing.

Sampson’s luminescent, silvery tone and vibrant coloratura was engaging and most communicative, as if the singer was intent on conveying the soul of the piece to everyone in the room. The anxieties and tragedies of “Wo bin ich?” were heartfelt in the minor mode, her word inflections naturally heightening moments of dissonance. Her cadenzas were distinctive and florid, with the one in the penultimate aria “Meint ihr mich” highlighting delicate control in the upper register.

Telemann also includes extended instrumental sections, notably the scene of the waters below the cliff and the charming “Tanz der Tritonen.” With his affinity for wind writing on full display, the flute playing offered an apt opportunity to showcase the unique timbres of the period instruments.

What proved most effective this evening was the close attunement between soloist, conductor and ensemble. In the final jubilant aria, Sampson colored the ascending dotted rhythms with the horn before fully blossoming in the wide-reaching vocalisms of the lines.

The expert balancing and direction of Jonathan Cohen displayed the music director’s mastery in this rarely heard cantata as well as the more familiar works by Mozart and Haydn that framed the evening.

Mozart’s Exultate, jubilate led off the evening. While a concert favorite, this remains a challenging work for sopranos, and interpretations vary widely.

Friday night’s performance leaned toward a lighter and more Baroque style with the crisp sound of the strings guiding Sampson’s opening lines. The pastoral “Tu virginum corona” was taken briskly, though the viola melody emerged lovely and warm. In the famous “Alleluja” finale, a bit more buildup  might have lent the coda a greater impact though Sampson’s joyful vocal lines still managed to carry the day.

Haydn’s Symphony No. 44 in E minor (“Trauer”) concluded the evening. Here, the Handel and Haydn Society lived up to its name with a particularly well put-together performance. The polish was evident from the first statement of the Allegro con brio, with the tuning among the violin parts adding a delicate touch. A rare chamber music-like aesthetic emerged immediately, and each return of the theme was treated subtly differently while coordinated meticulously.

The canon of the second movement Minuet was shaped in a way that felt comprehensible and fluid. The Trio section offered relief in a warm, summery meadow, colored by golden tones from the horn.

The third movement Adagio served as a kind of farewell for Haydn, who famously requested it be played at his funeral. The heartbreaking melody unfolded in elegant, contained phrases with Cohen’s tempo moving steadily forward rather than dwelling in somberness.

The fourth movement thrilled with its catchy, rolling turbulence. The ensemble’s dynamic range was especially impressive, with the almost grainy texture of the cello and double bass articulation providing just enough bite for the piece’s acerbic moments. The energy also effectively underlined the anxious trembling of the quieter passages.

The program will be repeated 3 p.m. Sunday at Jordan Hall. handelandhaydn.org

Posted in Performances

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