Northern Sinfonia and Chorus, The Sage Gateshead

9:27am Tuesday 27th November 2007

THE Northern Sinfonia and Chorus, under the baton of the young Canadian conductor Yannick Nezet- Seguin, presented an imaginative mix of Bachs at their latest concert at The Sage Gateshead.

Bach's challenging Violin Concerto No 2 opened the evening, with the gauntlet taken up by the Sinfonia's accomplished leader, Bradley Creswick. His impeccable bowing and spirited reading was a perfect scene-setter.

The Sinfonia chorus then gave a clean-cut rendition of Bach's Komm, Jesu Komm, before Bach's Suite 2 was given sterling treatment by flautist Juliette Bausor.

The large-scale Baroque piece demands stamina and concentration, which Bausor brought to the work, with crisp attention to detail and flowing lines that were quite transcendental. The closing Badinerie, one of the most familiar passages of music, was dashed off with athletic intensity. The audience went wild.

Many composers have cut their teeth arranging Bach's works and Stravinsky's take on Preludes and Fugues must rank as one of the most exciting.

A highlight of the evening saw a simply marvellous interplay between the clarinet and oboe.

The concert concluded with Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms. Written after his conversion to Christianity, the work is imbued with spirituality.

The chorus meticulously picked out the polyphonic strands of the work, while the never-ending staircase to heaven depicted in the closing lines seemed to float into the ether. Chorus master Alan Fearon was rightly called to his feet to acknowledge the shower of applause. Young Nezet-Seguin may be, but venerable was his direction.

Another wholly satisfying experience.

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