Review: ORCHESTRA OF ST LUKE'S at Carnegie Hall Feb 6

Bernard Labadie led the Orchestra of St Luke's in a well-curated program of magnificent Baroque music Thursday night. The evening also served to expose New Yorkers to the rich contralto voice of Marie-Nicole Lemieux, a singer who has been garnering praise and awards for the last twenty years.

The evening was in two parts, symmetrically programmed, each half beginning with a concert "a due cori" by Handel, followed by a string concerto by Vivaldi, concluding with a setting of the SALVE REGINA by the latter composer

Handel composed a series of concerti "a due cori" for wind and brass choirs. The idea behind the concerto form is to "pit" an instrument (usually one or two of the same type) against the remainder of the orchestra, a sort of back and forth dialogue between the two forces. Handel was faced with a number of unemployed wind and brass musicians, left jobless after the Jacobite uprising of 1745 and provided them with some of the most stirring music he ever produced. So what you had were two wind choirs playing "against" the remainder of the orchestra which consisted mainly of string instruments. The two choirs (due cori) were placed physically behind the remainder of the orchestra. Handel borrowed a fair amount of previously written material of his own when composing these pieces. The playing last night was first-rate and conductor Labadie certainly tried to emphasize the two-chorus nature of these works as best he could.

The second pieces in each half of the program were string concerti by Vivaldi. The DOUBLE ORCHESTRA CONCERTO IN D MAJOR (RV 582) was for two string choirs and a violin soloist, the dynamic Daniel Hope. Hope's playing was glorious and this concerto was capped by the "cadenza to end all cadenzas", which allowed Hope to demonstrate what years of experience and tremendous expertise can accomplish. He and the orchestra were rewarded with the loudest ovation of the evening. The second Vivaldi concerto (RV552) was for orchestra and violin and three added violinists who were situated in the upper reaches of the house, lending an "echo" effect to the piece. Vivaldi taught at an orphanage for young women and many of these pieces were composed for these apparently very talented pupils.

The final section of each of the two halves of the evening was devoted to separate settings of the SALVE REGINA by Vivaldi. The contralto soloist was Marie-Nicole Lemieux. Ms. Lemieux won both first prize and special prize for lieder at the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Belgium in 2000. She records extensively, concentrating on lieder and song. Her voice was rich, secure, well-modulated and the text could be heard clearly. Her coloratura was accurate. She occasionally reminded this listener of Marilyn Horne, who had a range from alto through soprano. We certainly look forward to Ms. Lemieux's return.

In all, a thought-provoking, well-executed program by the always welcome Orchestra of St. Luke's.

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