J. S. Bach: Cantata No. 170, ‘Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust’; Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major; Cantata No. 35, ‘Geist und Seele wird verdwirret’. Iestyn Davies counter-tenor, The English Concert. Kristian Bezuidenhout harpsichord/director
The Proms is really a remarkable institution. How can it possibly be that about 3000 people should be milling around the RAH at 10pm waiting to get into a late night Bach concert on the evening before a rail strike? Moreover, while Iestyn Davies is a big star and an obvious audience attraction, the Bach cantatas to be performed are frankly not among the more memorable ones, I thought at the time, while their sentiments are unlikely to be shared or in some cases even understood by the majority of the audience. Nevertheless there was cheering and whooping at the end of it all, to my astonishment.
I didn’t help myself by downing two pints of IPA in the Queen’s Arms having an enjoyable chat with someone I know, beforehand, and by choosing to sit at the back of the arena, allowing the clarity of the English Concert’s playing to be reduced to a harmonious soup by the RAH’s acoustics.
I listened to the concert the next morning on I-Player to make amends and thoroughly enjoyed it; Iestyn Davies’ singing is wonderfully sensitive. And actually the cantatas’ arias are really rather good, particularly the final one of BWV 170
John's musical journey 