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David Daniels astonishes with countertenor showpieces Singer shows technical, musical prowess in moving performance DAVID DANIELS Sunday Chan Centre BY DAVID GORDON DUKE
Easily the most exotic of the classical voice types, the coun tertenor has rarely featured out side the relatively small circle of early music aficionados. Ameri can David Daniels has changed that, as the first countertenor in living memory to break into the classical mainstream. He was showcased Sunday afternoon at the Chan Centre with The Eng lish Concert (a rare co-presenta tion by the Chan, Early Music Vancouver, and the Vancouver Recital Society), and a program devoted to music of Bach and Handel demonstrated Daniels in all his considerable glory. With any countertenor there's always a moment when one ad justs to the reality of such im probably luminous sounds com ing from an adult male singer. Before Daniels took the stage, Bach's C major Suite was given a gracious, courtly reading by The English Concert under director
David Daniels
the soloist and responsive in the highest possible degree to his interpretations. The afternoon's second half was devoted to Handel, starting off with another purely instru mental number, the A major Concerto Grosso, Op. 6. Daniels has made Handel roles a career staple; certainly the florid vocal fireworks of Furibondo from Partenope .and the entire Mad Scene from Orlando show him in his most flashy, operatic I mode. The a u d i ence fa irly gasped with astonishment at Daniels's handling of these florid technical showpieces, but they were by no means the only memorable music making of the afternoon. Earlier his performance of two B a c h a r ias , Erbar me di ch ("Have mercy, my God") from the St Matthew Passion and Schlummert e i n ("Slumber now") from Cantata BWV 82 packed an extraordinary emo tional wallop: a fusion of tech nique, vocal sound, and every el ement of fine musicianship united in a powerful, and power fully moving, whole.
Harry Bicket. Then came that countertenor moment, with a relatively simple and straight forward aria from Bach's Canta ta BWV170. Daniels has made his instru ment flexible and true; his un derstanding of his repertoire is developed and tasteful. As the program unfolded, it was easy to see the complete rapport be tween singer, conductor, and ensemble. Bicket and his players provided remarkably sympa thetic accompaniment, carefully scaled to the dynamic range of Special to The Sun