Saturday’s Red Deer Symphony “A Baroque Concert” in Gaetz Memorial United Church was a delight.
Of the main three main works performed, my favourite was the second cantata from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.
This being a choral work, and with the demise of the Red Deer College Concert choir, Claude Lapalme imported from Calgary the four member Voiscapescapes, augmented by five special guests to create a nine member choir. They sounded like a couple of dozen. Great.
This 1734 oratorio actually consists of six cantatas, which at that time were performed over six days.
My suggestion: create a Bach on the installment plan: perform the other five cantatas over the next so many years. A modest new tradition for Red Deer.
Maybe in six years, Red Deer will have a concert choir again and be ready for something grander, such as the Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.
Harlan Hulleman
Red Deer