The Philharmonia Baroque's program tonight was not up to Nicholas McGegan's
usual best, but he brought some extraordinary singers to Berkeley.

Works by Bach and Handel about Hercules (and the struggle between
Virtue and Pleasure over the future of the young hero) were musically
reconstituted -- from the "Christmas Oratorio" and "Alceste," respectively.
The orchestra itself was bit under par, especially the "natural horns"
that gave out some unnatural sounds.  Bruce Lamott's small, brilliant
Philharmonia Chorale was flawless, however.

McGegan's greatest contribution was in his selection of the soloists,
especially "finding" soprano Meredith Hall in Newfoundland, that hotbed
of Baroque specialists.  (That's what McGegan said, but I suspect Hall's
appearances in Montreal and Europe might have provided a more likely
meeting point with the Canadian soprano.)

Hall sang the role of Pleasure in both works and there is no better word
to describe the experience of listening to her.  With wonderful ease and
fluency, effortless, elegant phrasing, Hall did more than "impress." Any
frequent concertgoer would sigh with relief experiencing the foolproof
certainty of Hall's performance:  you can sit back and listen to the music,
unconcerned about what may happen next.  This voice, full of color and
bursts of light, is not merely to like -- it's one of those rare voices
one falls in love with on first hearing.  If there is a recording of
her performance of the Bach B-Minor Mass with the Kitchener-Waterloo
Philharmonic (? that's what it says in her bio), I *want* it.

McGegan also offered two great German singers:  countertenor Kai Wessel
(Hercules) and tenor Rufus Mueller (Virtue), fabulous, and hilarious in
their duet confessing their love for each other...  as Hercules makes the
"right" choice for the straight and narrow (unlike me, who opted -- easily
-- for Hall's Pleasure).

Mezzo Jennifer Dudley sang Echo in the Bach, upgrading to Virtue in the
Handel.  Baritone Tom Hart is cast as Mercury.

Additional performances are scheduled in the Marin JCC on Sept.  16, San
Francisco's Herbst Theater on Sept.  17, and Palo Alto's First Methodist
Church on Sept.  18.

Janos Gereben/SF
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