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Apollo’s Fire: Ten Years and Counting
by Paul Cox '92
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Apollo’s
Fire, the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, has been celebrating its 10th anniversary
this season to much local fanfare and excitement, not to mention packed
houses in Severance Hall — a far cry from the ensemble’s genesis
in a Hunting Valley sheep barn. Founded in 1992 by Jeannette Sorrell ’90, the orchestra has flourished under her leadership and indefatigable musical spirit. She has been aided and abetted by numerous faculty members of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, among them Michael Lynn, Kathie Lynn, Catharina Meints, Cynthia Roberts, and Michael Sponseller ’97.
This talent, coupled with a supportive board and staff, has brought Apollo’s Fire a long way since 1992. Now one of the finest baroque orchestras in the country, in my opinion, Apollo’s Fire has garnered a gleaming reputation in Northeast Ohio. I recently listened to the Apollo’s Fire recording of J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, which has made me wonder why the whole world doesn’t know about this ensemble.
Success in the classical music world comes slowly. Rarely are there overnight success stories, especially when it comes to newly formed baroque orchestras. Why? For one thing, the orchestra world is extremely tradition bound; reputations grow only slightly faster than glaciers.
Also, because presenters such as Carnegie Hall don’t have audiences who crave the next new thing (a phenomenon endemic in the pop music world), nor the funds to do "research and development," the recent trend toward neo-impresarios could mean that Carnegie Hall might send scouts out looking for the latest talent, but who knows? Audiences for classical music crave a combination of reputation and celebrity; for example, Murray Perahia playing Chopin, the Vienna Philharmonic playing Brahms, or the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique doing the Beethoven symphonies.
In fact, when dear Bach sent his Brandenburg concertos as a sort of musical résumé to the Margrave of Brandenburg, in 1726, he was completely ignored. (He probably forgot to send an appropriate cover letter!) Yes, even then, greatness often went unappreciated, which underscores my belief that Apollo’s Fire’s day will one day come.
The first (and most obvious) reason Apollo’s Fire is destined for greatness is that the string intonation on this recording of the Brandenburg is impeccable. No string musician could get away with whining about the difficulty of playing on gut strings in this band. The string sound is clear and remarkably in tune, particularly in the sixth concerto.
The second reason is the uniqueness of the overall texture. Sorrell allows her players the flexibility to play as soloists (even the non soloists), and brings even the most subdued bass line to life. It seems at times that the players are carefully shaping their musical lines, the risk of which is musical chaos. But this is chamber music at its best, and Sorrell guides the individuals into one, cohesive conversation. The music soars forth; musical lines move in and out of the texture, creating the illusion of ocean waves or speeding traffic on the autobahn.
The symmetry of this recording is quite good; the bass sound is just right and the overall balance between the full ensemble and soloists is excellent — kudos to producer and recording engineer Michael Schulze, director of audio services for the Oberlin Conservatory.
Apollo’s Fire uses many of the finest period instrumentalists from around the country. Among them is Gonzalo X. Ruiz, whose oboe sound is second to none. (He also wrote the liner notes for the recording.) For a real thrill, skip to the last movement of the first concerto, in which hornists Derek Conrod and Willard Zirk call the hunt to order and chase after cackling oboes. Trumpeter John Thiessen, in the second concerto, is outstanding; violinist Cynthia Roberts offers a notable performance in the fourth. But Bach saved the most virtuosic work for the harpsichordist in the fifth concerto, in which Sorrell offers a riveting performance, the speed of which is aurally blinding. She has remarked, "One has to train for this piece the same way one trains for an athletic event." She obviously put in her time.
I have continued to be impressed by all that Sorrell has achieved since our student days at Oberlin in the early 1990s. Ladies and gentlemen, she conducts, she plays, she writes witty program notes, and she starts her own orchestra. What can’t she do? I wish her and Apollo’s Fire another 10 years of success.
Carnegie Hall, are you listening?
Check amazon.com or the Public Radio Music Source to order recordings by Apollo’s Fire. Or better yet, save money and experience immediate gratification by ordering directly from Apollo’s Fire by calling 800-314-2535. –P.C.
