Review: Dunedin Consort - Edinburgh Queen’s Hall

By CAROL MAIN
Published on Thursday 9 February 2012 00:00

FORMED primarily as a vocal ensemble, Dunedin Consort are broadening their horizons these days to put historically informed instrumental performance on a par with their repertoire for voices.

Exemplified at the Queen’s Hall by their current celebration of Bach, Brandenburg Concertos Nos 4 and 6 were framed by Cantatas BWV 152 Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn and BWV 106 Gottes Zeit is die allerbeste Zeit, otherwise known as Actus Tragicus.

As an instrumental outfit, Dunedin, with renowned Bach expert John Butt directing from the keyboard, have something exceptional to offer.

Brandenburg 4 was zippy and light, its snappy rhythms racing off fractionally too fast after what seemed an age for the players to get their period instruments tuned to the complex pitching systems entertainingly explained by Butt. His direction was precise, without fuss, and the players responded positively to its sensitive subtlety and pointed phrasing.

In No 6, it was the violas’ night, as the impressively well-matched lyricism of Jane Rogers and Alfonso Leal del Ojo came into its own with joyous flow.

Less well settled was the instrumental line-up for BWV 152, where the disparate voices of viola d’amore, recorder and oboe on top stumbled over intonation and balance. Not so the voices of soprano Susan Hamilton and bass Giles Underwood.

The sense of presence he brought to both cantatas was enduring, and with mezzo Claire Wilkinson and tenor Thomas Hobbs completing the quartet for BWV 106, the end result was one of inspiring conviction.

Rating: ***

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