The Bach Cantata Group perform at least once a year in St. Stephen’s Church very near us but I’d never been to hear them. They gave a concert under the direction of Neil Moore accompanied by an orchestra led by Matthew Taylor.
I have a recording of Handel’s The ways of Zion do mourn, reworked as the opening of Israel in Egypt. It doesn’t sit easily there, as it makes the oratorio very long and there isn’t much reason to be still lamenting the death of Joseph generations later in Moses’ time. This performance didn’t really sell the piece to me as it never really seems to take off. A funerary piece that does came in the second half.
Duruflé’s Requiem was given in the version for string orchestra plus trumpets/timpani/harp, which I’ve never done (although I have sung in the version with full orchestra). Even in this version you get lots of counterpoint that isn’t nearly so obvious when accompanied by organ only. We also had Duruflé’s motets, a trickier test for the choir as they are unaccompanied.
The programme was a demanding one with much for the chorus to do. The tuning was good, especially the upper voices, although the choir was not so confident with the changes of tempo in the Duruflé Requiem. I’m not sure what the unaugmented forces of the Cantata Group would sound like; there was at least one ‘bumper’ who joined the choir on the day.
I still can’t stand the acoustic in this church, which amplifies noise immediately around (my neighbour cleared their throat frequently and sang along to one of the motets) at the expense of that from the performers. But I did like the ladies’ dress code; black with something red (which could be a sash, necklace, corsage or other adornment).