Symphony No 45 (Maria Theresa) ......... Haydn
Exsuitate, jubilate .................... Mozart
Arias from Messiah, Semeie, Jephtha .... Handel
Concerto Grosso in B flat, Op 3 No 2 ... Handel
Arias & Duet from Acis & Galatea ....... Handel
THE Orchestra of St Cecilia is presenting three Sunday evening concerts at St Ann's, Dawson Street. The programmes are all 18th century, with Handel, Mozart and Haydn being the dominant names (it's good to see Haydn's symphonies featuring a bit more prominently in Dublin again), and most of the young soloists in the series are past winners of bursaries from Dublin Corporation.
The opening concert, conducted by Seamus Crimmins, featured two young singers. The soprano Julia Canavan sings with a bright, forward tone, the pleasurable impact of which is lessened by a fluttery vibrato. Her outgoing manner was well suited to Mozart's Exsultate, jubilate, but the skills of articulation called for by this vocally demanding piece are not yet hers.
Declan Kelly, heard in excerpts from Handel, is that rarity, a tenor blessed with a voice of real allure. Sadly, he let himself down through the sense of strain which affected his high notes and the general unpredictability of his intonation.
Seamus Crimmins achieved more consistent playing from the orchestra than I have heard from them in the past, but didn't really manage to locate the fiery core of the major work on offer, Haydn's Symphony No. 48. His success was greater in the second concerto grosso from Handel's Op. 3, and it was in the closing item, the duet "Happy We" from Acis and Gala tea, that he secured the most pointed, stylish playing of the evening.
