October 15, 2023
Ahavath Achim Synagogue
Atlanta, Georgia – USA
“Make a Joyful Noise”
Julie Andrijeski, ABO artistic director & concertmaster.
ZELENKA: Fanfare in D Major, with trumpets and timpani
G.F. HANDEL: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon
TELEMANN: Oboe Concerto in E minor, TWV 51:el
G.F. HANDEL: Concerto Grosso in B-flat Major, Op.3 No.2, HWV 313
G.F. HANDEL: Overture to Judas Maccabaeus
J.S. BACH: Orchestral Suite No.3, BWV 1068
Jon Ciliberto | 20 OCT 2023
While this program shared works from the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra’s October 13th and 14th performances (“Coronation,” with the Cathedral of St. Philip Choir & Schola), the differences, as well as the performance location—Ahavath Achim Synagogue—generated a significantly different listening experience.
Sonic qualities of a room shape performances. The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra had its first performance at Ahavath Achim Synagogue following the recent renovation of its Sanctuary. The key changes affecting acoustics: a dropped ceiling of open wood slats, a vinyl-wood floor, soft cushion seating, and most significantly perhaps, the situation of the Sanctuary’s bimah (podium or platform) more forward in the room. [1]
In an email message, Ivan Millender, the AA’s Cultural Arts Chairman, noted that acoustics were a “prime consideration” in the renovation. They fit the ABO well. The music was warm, intimate, soft, and detailed. I felt I could clearly hear not just each element (strings, woodwinds, brass) of the orchestra in its individual sonic niche, but even, in some cases, discern an individual player’s voice, if I tried. The music was very centered in the space, making for an easy listening experience, with room reverberation very well balanced.
The performers with whom I spoke also noted the warm and positive qualities of the acoustics; one commented that they required careful attention to intonation (since there is less blending of individual voices). It was marvelous to hear the result of a great ensemble playing thoughtfully attuned to a beautiful space.
The afternoon began with a brief address to the assembled, a prayer for Israel, and the blowing of the shofar (a ram’s horn), followed without pause by Zelenka’s Fanfare, a thoughtful transition from Jewish to Baroque horn playing.
The full ensemble performed Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3, and a certain amount of fortune led to the ABO’s performance at AA. Millender noted that it was a prior performance by the ABO at AA of Bach’s second Orchestral Suite that led him to reach out to the Orchestra to inquire about playing the third in the renovated Sanctuary — its configuration was a better fit for the larger group required to execute the Suite No. 3.
The beautiful treatment of the work’s familiar themes brought tears to my wife Robin’s eyes.
Telemann’s Oboe Concerto, with soloist Kathryn Montoya, provided an opportunity for excellent dialogue. The technically demanding solo part became particularly apparent by the work’s final movement.
Notebook sketch of ABO at AA Synagogue, October 15, 2023. (credit: Jon Ciliberto)
Handel’s Concerto Grosso presented the brightest sonic profile of the afternoon, as one would expect. I particularly enjoyed the harmonic playing by the two cellists in the work’s first movement, which came together and sat nicely within the Orchestra. And while I am not much of a dancer, the energy of the dance movements made me feeling like hopping up and moving around. (I didn’t.)
The room asked for, and received, an encore.
The renewal of the Sanctuary was, of course, tempered by dark current events, and this was acknowledged from the podium.
The ABO’s performance was part of the Synagogue’s “ongoing celebration and dedication of the newly redesigned main Sanctuary” (as stated in the program notes), and one looks forward to future musical occasions in this beautiful and uplifting space.
The upcoming programs at Ahavath Achim Synagogue include a December 3 performance by the Georgian Chamber Players (Schubert, Grieg, Brahms) and on January 21, 2024, The Atlanta Chamber Players (Ravel, Poulenc), as well as a performance of piano jazz on April 7, 2024 by Joe Alterman, Lewis Franco, & Trio. Performances remain free to the public, and are presented “with the help of financial generosity of some of [AA’s] members.” ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Atlanta Baroque Orchestra: atlantabaroque.org
- Ahavath Achim Synagogue: aasynagogue.org
- [1] AA Synagogue Restarts Renovation | Atlanta Jewish Times, December 21, 2021.
Read more by Jon Ciliberto.
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