Review: Dame Jane Glover, Demarre McGill, and Music of the Baroque Compare and Contrast Fathers and Sons

_{Demarre McGill and Music of the Baroque. Photo: Elliot Mandel}

Music of the Baroque found a great excuse for bringing Chicago native and flutist extraordinaire Demarre McGill to the Harris Theater on Saturday night. Rather than simply performing a flute concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, they performed both, pairing them with orchestral works by their fathers: Leopold Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach.

The program, called Fathers and Sons, provided a rare opportunity to compare and contrast two composers and their immediate progeny. At the same time, we got to hear Demarre McGill’s wonderful flute floating over the soundscape. Currently the Principal flutist for the Seattle Symphony, McGill is from an African American family here in Chicago. He and his equally compelling, clarinet-playing brother Anthony are two of the many reasons to be proud of Chicago’s musical heritage.

_{Dame Jane Glover and Music of the Baroque. Photo: Elliot Mandel}

The first half of the program was devoted to the Mozarts, starting with Leopold’s Symphony in F-major, which is scored for string orchestra, two horns, and harpsichord continuo. It starts with a flourish of charming melodies that resolve themselves quickly. Dame Glover’s movements fit the low-key music well. Conducting without baton, she would point to a section and slowly raise her right hand to elicit a crescendo.

Unfortunately, the horns were a bit overpowering, and sometimes the fairly small string sections were hard to hear. They also were not quite as precise with their phrasing as they usually are. It was still an enjoyable performance and well worth the opportunity to hear this rarely performed work.

Leopold’s rather short symphony has a very genteel feel. While pleasing it is not very complex. As illustrated by the next work on the program, his son Wolfgang, even at an early age, was far more adept at developing themes and going in surprising directions.

Following a couple ovations for Leopold Mozart’s Symphony, Demarre McGill entered the stage with his gleaming smile and shiny bald head for Wolfgang Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 2 in D-Major. This is the first time he has performed with MOB. His compelling stage presence and warm and captivating playing made it a real treat.

_{Demarre McGill, Dame Jane Glover, and Music of the Baroque. Photo: Elliot Mandel}

In both concertos, Dame Glover incorporated McGill very well into aural fabric. During the Mozart, there were times when he had colloquies with the violins and other wind instruments in the orchestra. The blend was perfect.

The cadenzas in the Mozart were by Johannes Donjon, but McGill modified the one in the opening movement. As that movement was coming to an end, he blurted out a small mistake, at which he briefly grimaced.

The second half was devoted to the Bachs, starting with CPE’s flute concerto in G-Major. The contrast between father and son was immediately evident. CPE’s light, airy melodies are accompanied by chords and arpeggios, as opposed to his father’s use of other melodies in a fugal setting.

Unlike Mozart’s concerto, the backing orchestra in Bach’s concerto did not include other woodwinds. On several occasions, McGill was very effective interacting with the violins. He fashioned cadenzas from those that CPE Bach initially wrote for organ. The standing ovation was very deserved.

To conclude the program, Music of the Baroque orchestra was up for the task of performing JS Bach’s baroque masterpiece, Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D-Major. In addition to strings, the score included timpani, trumpets, oboes, and a bassoon. Dame Glover kept the different sections in total sync.

The opening “Prelude” was very lively, with Dame Glover navigating the fugal middle section with clear authority. Especially memorable were the “Bourrées,” during which Ann Bach, Erica Anderson, and Janet Ingle on oboes, Galina Kiep on bassoon, Collins Trier on double bass, and Stephen Alltop on harpsichord played amongst themselves. The “Réjouissance” that concluded the performance delivered a wonderful dose of pure excitement.