Masaaki Suzuki demonstrated again on October 21 that he is one of the world’s leading conductors of late Baroque music. Yale Schola Cantorum and Juilliard415 presented Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato with precision, flair, and nuance. Handel set most of the music in this pastoral ode as vocal solos, which were distributed among the eight singers in the ISM’s early music voice program. All eight soloists delivered convincing renditions of their recitatives and arias. Schola Cantorum, in their occasional choruses, sang eloquently. The members of Juilliard415 provided precise accompaniment, and a few were featured in imaginative solos. The performance well served Handel’s sense of humor, particularly in Trevor Scott’s belly laughs, echoed by laughs from Schola, and Ellen Robertson’s birdsong duet with flautist Nuria Canales Rubio.
In case you missed it: Masaaki Suzuki Conducts Yale Schola Cantorum and Juilliard415 in Handel's L'Allegro
Photos of the Performance
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