Jerusalem Camerata proved that great performance outweighs poor environmental conditions.
By OMER SHOMRONY
Held at what is probably one of the most surreal venues for classical concerts the Reading Power Station in northern Tel-Aviv this one-time concert featured an attractive program performed at a surprisingly high level.
Featuring the Jerusalem Camerata, two choirs, and three soloists all under the confident direction of Ronen Borshevsky it provided another proof that good performing forces can overcome even the direst environmental conditions, such as the absence of air-conditioning or a huge hall which hardly fits a classical concert.
This positive impression began right at the start, with a crisp, brilliant reading of excerpts from Handel’s “Water Musicâ€. The following “Gloria†by Vivaldi was equally imposing, with the choir being superbly balanced and sensitive. Of the three soloists, Dana Marbach was my favorite, and it was pleasing to realize this young soprano made a huge progress since the last time I heard her.
The concert’s main course was Faure’s beautiful requiem, one of the highlights of French post-Romanticism. This was another triumph of the choir, which unlike many rival Israeli ensembles sounded soft and ethereal. The only down-side was Baritone Boaz Senator, whose singing was often too pompous and didn’t go along the natural flow of the music. Luckily, this was not enough to moderate an overall positive impression.