Music / Cantatas for Jubilate Sunday, Canberra Bach Ensemble, directed by Andrew Koll. At St Christopher’s Cathedral, Manuka, May 24. Reviewed by MICHAEL WILSON.

This concert of four of JS Bach’s 200 surviving cantatas, written for performance in the weeks after Easter, was of a quality we’ve come to expect from this tight choir and orchestra of the Canberra Bach Ensemble.

Director Andrew Koll injects not only an intellectual authority over the choice and interpretation of the repertoire, but a deep understanding of Bach’s method in its historical context.

The painstaking assembly of works that fit together in a concert program, with chamber orchestral musicians on period instruments who can create the authentic baroque sound as it would have been heard in 18^th century liturgical contexts, is both logistically challenging and expensive. The trade-off is that four cantatas in a single concert makes for a program lasting as long as Bach’s B minor Mass or St Matthew Passion.

Each cantata was preceded by short and lesser-known motets by Schütz, Schein, Hammerschmidt and Selle, all writing in the early 17^th century. While a program of four Bach cantatas hardly needed any further filling out, these motets were such contrasting highlights, and showed off the capabilities of soloists, choir and orchestra so well, that their inclusion felt mandatory. Watching Shaun Ng on the spectacular theorbo (the giant of the lute family) was a special treat in Johann Schein’s Die mit Tränen säen (Those Who Sow with Tears), alongside an ensemble of five voices.

While each cantata is unmistakably Bach, he always surprises. In BWV 12 Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen (Weeping, lamenting, worries, faintheartedness), tempo changes and the primacy of phrasing had Koll conducting only entries and the direction of overlapping melodic lines with his hands while his body kept the beat. The technically challenging Aria for alto was performed beautifully by Maartje Sevenster, but the accompanying baroque oboe was a little dominant. Better balance was achieved for Timothy Reynolds’ (tenor) Aria with instrumental chorale featuring the tromba (natural trumpet).

BWV 13 Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen (My sighs, my tears) highlighted perfectly played flauti dolce (recorders) by Robyn Mellor and Olivia Gossip. While some of the six movements were not musically remarkable, the final Chorale sung by solo quartet was beautifully blended and in perfect tune.  BWV 146 Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal (We must through much tribulation…) featured Callum Tolhurst-Close on organ, positioned to the left of the chancel, making sight-lines to the conductor a little tricky. Despite this, organ, orchestra and choir stayed well-synchronised. The alto Aria with organ (on vox humana stop, which matched Sevenster’s voice beautifully) was a particular highlight, as was the tenor and bass duet, where the different vocal characters of Reynolds and Andrew Fysh blended with lovely texture.

To finish, BWV 103 Ihr werdet weinen und heulen (You followers will weep and wail) was introduced confidently by Greta Claringbould (soprano) before the Chorale.  Reynolds’ tenor Recitative and Aria maintained the piece’s energy after a demanding evening of music-making, showing him at the top of his form.