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As he regularly has to do, J.S. Bach passed through a time warp Friday night. He fared better this time than he often does.
The Charlotte Symphony brought on the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte to perform Bach's B Minor Mass. The orchestra harked back to the practices of Bach's own 18th century through its reduced size and light touch. It was designed to be nimble - as befits Bach's music, which delights in intricacy.
The Oratorio Singers, at least in terms of numbers, had a different model. With its 100-plus voices, it was cut out to produce the Victorian Era's notion of grand and glorious Bach. Having Bach be nimble wasn't part of the picture back then.
Yet conductor Scott Allen Jarrett, who directs the Singers and took the podium Friday night, got his group to be lighter on its feet than choirs of its size typically are. With the orchestra generally supplying a flow of energy and lightness to help carry Bach along, much of the music's joy, grace and lyricism came through.
And there were moments - such as the final number - when the chorus' largeness paid off in breadth and power.
So the B Minor Mass as it unfolded Friday night emphasized its human side, not its massiveness as two hours of music. Some of the highlights: the cheerfulness of sopranos Kendra Colton and Christina Pier in Bach's first section for soloists; the brightness that Pier gave her song of praise, with Calin Lupanu's breezy violin solos adding excitement; the chorus' ring in the most celebratory parts of the "Gloria"; the hale-and-hearty affirmation that Richard Zeller gave the bass arias.
Of course, there's only so far that 100-plus throats can go to be synchronized in music that's as busy as Bach's sometimes is. Here and there, the chorus worked so hard to keep the music distinct that it ended up sounding choppy. And a few spots were blurry despite all the group's efforts. And a couple of the more soulful solos didn't come across that way, because mezzo-soprano Gigi Mitchell-Velasco and tenor Michael Slattery were short on projection.
But others always stepped in soon with projection galore - especially when the chorus and orchestra let the final chorus surge. Bach emerged from the time warp intact.
