Last Friday, the Cathรฉdrale Sainte-Rรฉparate hosted the musicians of the Ensemble Baroque de Nice, who performed a sold-out show of the complete set of four Orchestral Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach. These pieces originate from the French tradition of assembling various excerpts from operas or ballets with contrasting rhythms, although it seems the original scores have not been preserved.
A true challenge brilliantly met by its director Gilbert Bezzina, the scores are renowned for their complex sophistication, particularly the alternation of rhythms and the varied combinations of different “dances” with evocative names such as “allemande,” “sarabande,” “bourrรฉe,” “minuets,” and “gigue.” These pieces form the composition of this musical genre, which sometimes requires an expanded orchestration where certain instruments, winds or brass, can be doubled or even tripled. This is indeed the case for Suite I and Suite III, and especially for Suite IV where, respectively, two oboes, three trumpets, three trumpets, and three oboes enrich the ensemble’s play and modulations.
This does not always make the orchestral direction easy, often challenged by the rapid “tempi” of the winds in Suite I in C major or some notes overwhelmed by the brass in Suite III in D major. Perhaps the musicians, particularly attentive to their scores, did not sufficiently place themselves under the Director’s coordination? Regretfully, one might also mention an interpretation of the famous Aria from Suite III, which lacked smoothness, roundness, with note transitions that were a bit too detached and mechanical. Nevertheless, Gilbert Bezzina gave us several magnificent examples of his artistic talent and genuine passion for chamber music, notably in Suite II in B minor, where his duet with the very talented Michรจle Rodriguez on the flute and the harpsichord created sounds of literally enchanting elegance and refinement.
