“Sixth annual Bachanalia is a glorious success”
Last Friday was BACHanalia at Christ Church Cathedral in Nashville, and Portara performed in it. We had a blast, and we were a hit! John Pitcher, in his ArtNowNashville review, had this to say about us:
My favorite performance of the evening probably came from the Portara Ensemble in its more serious guise. The group, under the expert direction of Shreyas Patel, gave a luminous account of the famous Cantata No. 61 “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland.” The group sang with a beautifully blended sound and with unfailing sensitivity to the text. They followed with an equally glorious reading of “Jesu, bleibet meine Freude” (better known in the English-speaking world as “Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring”), which featured a vocal sound that truly shimmered and shined.
Isn’t this picture of Portara lovely? We’re such a colorful group.
Our complete musical offering was:
- Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, singing the original German chorale text from BWV 147 movements 6 and 10
- Cold and Fugue Season, arr. Ellen Foncannon
