Sunday December 7th, 2025 – Music by five of the of the giants of the Baroque period was on offer this evening as Chamber Music Society continues their current season, in which the violin is being celebrated.
The program for this concert was announced months ago, but there were two surprising additions: two recently-discovered works by Johann Sebastian Bach led to the opening of the Alice Tully Hall stage’s back wall to reveal the dramatically-lit 19-ton Kuhn concert organ. Paolo Bourdignon seated himself before this monumental, 4192-pipe instrument to play the ‘new’ Bach pieces (both dating from c. 1705) which were having their NY concert premieres.
The first, Ciacona and Fuga in D-minor for Organ, BWV 1178, immediately bowled us over with the epic power of the towering instrument. As the piece progresses, we experience the vast dynamic range M. Bourdignon could summon, from profoundly rich chords to delicate filigree within echoed passages.
Next up,we heard the Ciacona in G-minor for Organ, BWV 1179; this – being in the minor key – had a darkish quality, laced with enticing subtleties. Througout both of these short works, the organist revealed his mastery of style and technique.
Georg Philipp Telemann’s 1735 Fantasia No. 10 in D-major for Violin, TWV 40:23, one of twelve fantasias the composer wrote, brought forth Chad Hoopes, one of five fantastic violinists to be featured during the evening. The opening Presto has a merry feeling, and the clarity of Mr. Hoopes’ playing drew us in. The central Largo sounded oddly familiar; it has a poignant sense of longing. The violinist charmed us with his sweet tone and delicate trills. The final Allegro – commencing with a joyous tune – was neatly dispatched, drawing warm applause from the packed house.
Violinist James Rhee now took the stage for George Frideric Handel’s Sonata in A-major, with cellist Edward Aaron and Mssr. Bourdignon providing the elegant continuo. The three instantly achieved a cordial blend in the opening Larghetto – music with a gracious air – before moving on to an Allegro in which each player had a chance to shine; this was expertly played. In a brief and tender Adagio, Mr. Rhee’s playing was magical. The concluding, familiar Allegro had a lovely flow to it, the trio reveling in the perfection of their partnership.
From Arcangelo Corelli, we heard his 1714 Concerto Grosso in D-major for strings and continuo, Op. 6, No. 4. A series of introductory chords are followed by a burst of animation as violinists Kristin Lee and Richard Lin trade passages. The Corelli brought double-bass player Anthony Manzo’s first appearance of the evening; after the interval, he and M. Bourdignon will delight us thoughout Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The Lee/Lin duo showed ideal pacing and pretty harmonies in the moderato of the Corelli; then they set off Baroque fireworks during the concluding Allegro, wherein they and the supporting ensemble were all bowing at breakneck speed.
More from JS Bach: the Concerto in E-major for Violin, Strings, and Continuo, BWV 1042, written “before 1730“. This music has the quality of encountering a friend one has not heard from for many years: it’s so recognizable yet ever so welcome and endearing. Arnaud Sussmann enjoyed a personal triumph here: his playing was simply sensational from first note to last. His shimmering cadenza in the opening Allegro presaged the magic spell he cast in the haunting Adagio that follows. The violinist’s uncanny control of dynamics – and his deep feeling for the music – turned this into a transportive experience; Mssrs. Arron and Manzo gave the violinst heartfelt support. In the final, fantastical Presto, the ensemble – which further included Ms. Lee, Mssrs. Hoopes, Rhee, and Lin, and violists Aaron Boyd and James Thomspon – took in stride the swift tempo with some pristine, prestissimo playing. At the end, Superman Sussmann basked in the vibrant applause of his colleagues and the elated crowd.
Ending the evening with a big Baroque bang was Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Op. 8 No. 1-4, which first burst upon the world in 1725. I became familiar with this music thru watching several performances of the Jerome Robbins ballet of the same title at New York City Ballet back in the day.
Each ‘season’ had a different featured violin soloist: Mr. Hoopes confirmed his excellence in the evening’s opening Telemann with La primavera (Spring)…in fact, he supasssed himself, meriting a scrawl of exclamation points in my notes. In Spring’s opening Allegro, Mssrs. Hoopes and Sussmann engage in a bit of competition. In the Largo, Mr. Thompson’s viola seemed to comment on the violinist’s melody from across the stage. The concluding Allegro is a virtual breath of Spring, with Mssrs. Arron and Manzo bringing lovely details for this danza pastorale.
Mr. Hoopes stepped over into the very classy violin lineup as James Rhee took the centerstage position for L’estate (Summer). The opening Allegro non molto has a sneaky start, but soon Mr. Rhee is regaling us with some whirlwind playing, with the Arron cello as a co-conspirator. The ravishing Adagio finds Mr. Rhee in a sustained song of delicate pianissimi and spine-tingling trills. In the concluding Summer storm, Mr. Rhee’s playing becomes madly passionate, drawing a huge wave of applause.
Kristin Lee, in a striking, ruffled frock, became the goddess of L’autunno (Autumn); her playing is swift and joyous at first, joined by Mr. Arron’s’ cordial cello. Ms. Lee then offers us a sweet softness…and a sustained trill…in a brief interlude. In the Adagio – which is sometimes thought to depict sleeping drunkards – the cello, bass, and harpsichord create enticing colours as they join the violinist in drifting, dreamlike harmonies that have a mysterious feeling. The air clears for la caccia (The Hunt), an Allegro that has a swaying, emphatic feeling, crowned by agile playing from Ms. Lee.
And finally, we come to L’inverno (Winter) where the virtuoso playing of Richard Lin crowned the evening. It commences with a passage for the soloist and cellist which sounds like scraping ice off a frozen surface. Then Mr. Lin simply takes off, like an Olympic skater bent on earning Gold. With his awesome technique and suave tone, the violinist’s playing is dizzying and delightful. The Largo brings a sweet melody over plucked motifs, and then a mood swing into an allegro rush to the finish line.
The crowd, which had been wonderfully quiet and attentive, now swept to its collective feet, hailing the musicians like conquering heroes. Nothing quite compares to a standing ovation in this space where – for two blessèd hours – we have left the darkness of the world behind.
But let us not lose hope just yet; this uplifting Handel chorus can raise our spirits, at least for a moment.
“Let their celestial concerts all unite,
Ever to sound His praise in endless blaze of light.”
~ Oberon
Oberon's Glade 