Mercury Baroque's Magnificat

One of the distinguishing factors about this performance was the types of instruments that were used. Though the specific instruments were still the violin, viola, cello, bass, oboe, bassoon, flute, trumpet, and timpani, the string instruments were constructed differently than the instruments we use today- they had gut strings. The gut strings, being made out of actual animal flesh, created a fuller sound than the normal steel strings used today do. All sounds were both richer and warmer. The use of the gut strings also made the concert sound more like it would have in the time that it was written, seeing that gut strings were in common use for instruments when the piece was written. However the gut strings were also very sensitive to humidity, and that the orchestra had to re-tune multiple times throughout the concert rather than just at the beginning and end.

Another notable thing about the concert was that there was a choir, used mostly in the Magnificat in D major. In addition, there was also an organ. Both of these components made the piece sound somewhat churchlike and otherworldly. In general, the brass started off almost every piece- specifically the trumpets. This created a regal tone at the beginning of most pieces, which was highly reminiscent of the times of monarchs in Europe.

Another interesting thing about the concert, other than the instrumentation, was the conducting style. The conductor for this orchestra was Antoine Plante. Compared to most conductors, he seemed to be very young. The part that stood out most about his conducting style was his animation and liveliness. He physically grew and shrunk with the dynamics of the piece, and his length of his armspan changed vividly with the transitions of each piece. Everything was exaggerated. The effect of this was that it drew the audience into the piece much more and even helped convey the emotions of the piece- he was almost like an actor translating the feelings of the music into physical motions.

The orchestra performing, Mercury Baroque, was very interesting by itself, seeing that it is a Houston based group. Many of the players in the orchestra were themselves from Houston and in the reception after the concert were freely talking with the audience with their instruments in cases, just like any other person. This easy access and free interaction between the players in the orchestra and the audience in the reception following the concert goes to prove how homely the orchestra as a whole is and how much it appreciates its Houston fan base. After the concert, I was even able to go to the players and ask about the type of strings that they used and the effects of that on their playing. The loyalty of the groups fan base is supported by the fact that almost 90% of the season ticket holders for the concert renewed their subscription.