In this slideshare, Judah Blumenthal shares with you a summary of the latest Baroque Music Program.

1. BAROQUE MUSIC PROGRAM SUMMARY
Created by: Judah Blumenthal

2. MUSIC OF THE
BAROQUE SEASON
Annually, the Music of the Baroque season is held.
This year’s program began with a performance over the weekend,
which was held at Evanston's Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.
The performance featured an orchestra of thirty five and chorus
of twenty seven that managed to deliver a hefty sonic punch.
Principal guest conductor Nicholas Kraemer led the orchestra,
chorus and vocal soloists.

3. PERFORMANCE PIECES
According to an article recently
completed by the Chicago Tribune, the
performance featured pieces by
several prominent composers, but not
one piece of actual Baroque music.
The program did feature two short,
unfamiliar works by Haydn and
Beethoven.
However, the main draw was in the
form of Mozart's pieces Requiem Mass
and "Linz" Symphony (No. 36).
Much debate had surrounded the
performance of Requiem Mass prior
to the actual event.

4. DEBATE OVER THE LACK OF
BAROQUE MUSIC
The original interpretation, as finished by
Mozart's pupil Franz Sussmayr, has
returned to be considered the most
canonical completion.
There was also much discussion on the
lack of Baroque music for the Music of the
Baroque season kickoff event.
In recent years, the program has been
known to explore Classical and Romantic
pieces as an alternative to favoring
unfamiliar and unknown Baroque pieces.
Familiar sounding pieces appear to be a
bigger draw for the audience, piquing
much more interest in the event.

6. ANALYZING THE MECHANICS
In terms of the mechanics of the
event, the chorus had clear
diction and a good array of terse
loudness and relaxed softness.
However, at times, this led to the
muddiness of the orchestra’s
lower tones, such as the cellos,
basses and tympani.

7. FEATURED VOCAL SOLOISTS
In addition, the chorus overpowered the
work of the vocal soloists, which featured
soprano Sherezade Panthaki, mezzo-soprano
Meg Bragle, tenor Thomas
Cooley, and baritone Stephen Powell,
rendering them nearly absent.
Powell, who served as a substitute for an
ailing Peter Rose, worked well with
Cooley, particularly in their intertwining in
the Tuba mirum.
The women were bell-like, lacking a sense
of delicate shading. In terms of the pieces,
Mozart’s “Linz” managed to be fleet and
muscular; however, it lacked a certain
crispness and transparency.

8. For more information on this musical event, read this
article published in the Chicago Tribune.