Apollo’s Fire @ Trinity Cathedral, 12/10

The stone-shadowed aisles of Trinity Cathedral brightened with the light cast by the radiant Apollo’s Fire ensemble’s Christmas Vespers program last Thursday evening.

Jeannette Sorrell conducted and played the harpsichord (as is her custom) and the lively talent that makes up the orchestra, the Apollo’s Singers and the Apollo’s Musettes sent glad sonic vibes throughout the church as they offered arrangements of period masterpieces as interpreted by Sorrell.

It’s hard to believe that we are right downtown in the middle of Cleveland while we’re listening--we feel, instead that we are in the middle of the 17th-century as it might have sounded in services inspired by Martin Luther’s observation (quoted in the program) that “Music is a precious gift of God. When I hear music, joy bubbles up inside of me.”

Sopranos Kiera Duffy, Sandra Simon, and Nell Snaidas, mezzo-soprano Kirsten Sollek, Tenors Scott Mello and Marc Molomot, and bass Paul Shipper brought new life to the centuries-old works of Michael Praetorius and J. S. Bach. The first half of the program presented highlights from an Advent service and the second, selections for a Christmas Day vespers service--trumpet fanfare and all. Luther would surely have approved of the joy bubbling up in the Apollo’s Fire performers and the resultant delight of the audience. http://www.ApollosFire.org

Laura Kennelly is a freelance arts journalist, a member of the Music Critics Association of North America, and an associate editor of BACH, a scholarly journal devoted to J. S. Bach and his circle.

Listening to and learning more about music has been a life-long passion. She knows there’s no better place to do that than the Cleveland area.