South Florida Classical Review

Patrick Dupre Quigley led Seraphic Fire Friday night in Coral Gables.

In Baroque era Italy, cloistered nuns played a vital musical role, many composing as well as singing in their convents. Although they were not allowed to be seen publicly, their performances (usually behind screens) attracted listeners and visitors on their grand tours of Europe. Musicologists have discovered many of these women’s scores only in recent decades.

For its final program of the season, Seraphic Fire presented “Baroque: Angels Behind the Walls” on Friday night at Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables. A sampling of these female composers as well as music by a Baroque master made for a memorable musical offering.

The four scores by female church musicians proved worth hearing. These nuns were imaginative creative voices whose texts touched on secular as well as sacred dimensions. “O Caeli Cives” by Chiara Margarita Cozzolani (1602-1678) is an ode to St. Catherine. Two male singers ask questions about the saint which are answered by three female voices in response as the affirmation of angels in heaven. Choir members entered and sang from opposite sides of the sanctuary for a rousing finale.

“Gaude Plaude” by Maria Xaveria Perucona (1652-1709) displayed the growing influence of Baroque opera, arias and duets alternating with choral sections. Both rollicking and grandly reverent, Perucona’s melodic invention was vibrantly evident. With the choir increased to twenty voices by the addition of seven vocalists from the group’s Ensemble Artists Program at UCLA, Quigley drew stirring, superbly coordinated singing from the enlarged forces. Jessica Beebe and Michele Kennedy tackled the ornate high solo lines in totally secure fashion. Tenor Haitham Haidar was a standout, and the from bass of Seraphic Fire veteran Steven Eddy was a pleasure to encounter.

Two works by Bianca Maria Meda (c1661-c1732) were the most inventive and rewarding of these discoveries. The text of “Ardete Celestes Fiammae” suggested romantic as well as heavenly ardor. Jane Long’s dulcet soprano  and Kim Leeds’ warm, burnished alto  delighted in duet and solo moments. Rohan Ramanan displayed a virile tenor in high coloratura roulades.

The vigorous choral proclamations of “Vibrate Fulmina” vividly pictured thunder and lightning. Gabriela Solis’ distinctive alto sound, precise articulation and depth of emotion made her aria a highlight of the evening. Derek Chester brought verve to the solo tenor aria. James Bass’s firm low tones and voluminous bass illuminated some of Meda’s best solo writing. The final “Alleluia” was rousing.  Sarah Stone (cello), Jessica Powell Eig (bass) and Aya Hamada (organ) provided vital, enlivening continuo underpinning to these scores.

Through his work at the orphanage Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, Antonio Vivaldi trained and encouraged many female musicians.  Two of his works concluded the evening on a high note.

The Concerto in B minor for four violins is a familiar Baroque standard but the group’s period instrument ensemble, sans conductor, revitalized it. There was nothing staid or dull about the performance and the music literally danced with rhythmic buoyancy. Concertmaster Edison Scheid de Andrade and fellow violinists Kako Miura, Katie Hyun and Will Copeland fearlessly tackled the virtuosic solo acrobatics with gutsy articulation and rapid tempi. The final Allegro emerged especially vivacious.

Quigley has done yeoman service in presenting less frequently heard choral works by acknowledged masters. Last month’s revival of Mozart’s Misa Brevis in F was a revelation and Vivaldi’s too infrequently performed Magnificat was equally rewarding Friday night.

This compact score finds the Red Priest at the height of his melodic and contrapuntal powers. Quigley’s pacing and sense of dynamic contrasts proved stellar. The full chorus resounded with voluminous body and resonance in the fine acoustic of the sanctuary.

Deborah Stephens’ wonderfully flexible soprano, Solis’ finely placed alto and Haidar’s heroic tenor impressively conquered the intricacies of Vivaldi’s challenging solos in the second section. The trio of Long, Leeds and Bass brought lilt to one of the score’s most inspired movements, with their blending and timbres perfectly matched. As the choir alternately declaimed in fierce as well as ethereal tones, Quigley astutely balanced the orchestral contingent with the voices. The final “Gloria Patri” brought this Vivaldi gem to a soulful conclusion.

In a season that traversed Renaissance music, rarely heard romantic choral creations and contemporary works, this program provided an uplifting end to a year that presented Seraphic Fire at its best and underscored its indispensable role in South Florida’s musical life.

Seraphic Fire repeats the program 7:30 p.m. Saturday at All Saints Episcopal Church in Fort Lauderdale and 4 p.m. Sunday at Moorings Presbyterian Church in Naples. seraphicfire.org

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