Above: Maestro Lionel Meunier, photo by Nicholas V. Hall
~ Author: Mark Anthony Martinez II
Tuesday June 3rd, 2025 - The Orchestra of St. Luke's opened their 2025 Bach Festival at Zankel Hall tonight with a program of sacred works by J S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi, conducted by Lionel Meunier, founder of Vox Luminis. The concert was a celebration of the 50th year of the orchestra, which took its name from the first venue in which they performed: St. Luke's in the Fields, in the West Village. Their tradition of including a Bach Festival in their season started in 2019.
Antonio Vivaldi composed the sacred motet Nulla in mundo pax sincera ("There is no true peace in this world without bitterness") around 1713-1719 to an anonymous text. The work consists of three parts (aria; recitative; aria), followed by an Alleluia.
The lovely young soprano Gemma Nha (photo above by Nicholas V. Hall) appeared, wearing a beautiful pink dress, very reminiscent of Spring. As Maestro Lionel Meunier is very tall, it was an interesting sight to see him and Gemma standing next to each other. The soprano has a fantastic technique; I would be curious to see Gemma perform in a Rossini opera, given her skillful florid singing, reminiscent of that style of opera. The Alleluia ending of the motet was a show-stopper; Gemma has amazing coloratura, and it showed with that piece.
The orchestra played very deftly, though the piece itself isn't too interesting for the instrumentalists.
More Vivaldi followed: his Nisi Domine, RV 698, is a setting of Psalm 127. Composed around 1714, originally as a solo piece for counter-tenor, Vivaldi later offered an alternate version for three voices. Tonight, counter-tenor Reginald Mobley (photo above by Nicholas V. Hall), brought forth the original setting which is in nine relatively brief movements.
Mr. Mobley showed he's very much at home in the Early Music style. He has fluent coloratura, and great control of long, straight-tone notes. The standout movement in the piece was the "Cum Dederit": beautiful music, and wonderfully played and sung.
In one movement, there was a quintet section wherein violinist Jesse Mills (photo above by Nicholas V. Hall) stood up and, with the principal cellist, bassist, and keyboardist, played with Mr. Mobley; the violinist actually used a different violin for the quintet section and then switched back when going into the next movement.
Following the interval, J S Bach's "Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden" ("Lord, annul all my transgressions"), BWV 1083, is an arrangement that Bach made in the 1740s of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's 1735 Stabat Mater. The Bach/Pergolesi piece is gorgeous, and it was fun to see both singers perform next to each other (photo above by Nicholas V. Hall). Reginald is very much an Early Music singer, and Gemma is an opera singer; you could tell more acutely as they sang together. The outstanding movements in the piece were the Largo "Tilge Höchster", and "Lass mich Freud und Wonne", which is marked Allabreve.
Above: the artists take a bow. Performance photos by Nicholas V. Hall, courtesy of the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and with my thanks to Emily Walsh.
~ Mark Anthony Martinez II