Repertoire—Pacific NW Bach Festival—1977-1985

This festival took place in Spokane, WA, run by David Dutton (baroque oboe) and Beverly Biggs (harpsichord)—a combination of local musicians and imports took part in this festival, which I conducted from the very first one through seven years (my touring schedule at PLU, in January, finally meant I had to leave the festival). David had attended a performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion with Seattle Pro Musica the year before, and then invited me to conduct.

Period instruments were used the whole time. Concertmasters including Stanley Ritchie, Elizabeth Blumenstock, Daniel Stepner, and others. Janet See a fabulous baroque flute player who later was John Elliott Gardner's flutist in London, was also part of the festival from the beginning. There were a variety of soloists, but particularly Max van Egmont, the noted Dutch baritone, from the second year of the festival, and Nancy Zylstra, soprano, from the beginning. Getting to conduct Max in Bach's Ich habe genug was a special memory. The chorus was all local. Wonderful home-stays, lunches brought in by volunteers each day between rehearsals, etc. A great experience each January for seven years!

The Festival included chamber music, solo recitals, and lectures—a busy couple weeks! I conducted the choral works (and occasionally others, as with Ich habe genug, and occasional orchestral works):

1979

Cantata 40 - Dazu is erschienen der Sohn Gottes........... J.S. Bach

Cantata 80 - Ein Feste Burg

Cantata 212 - Peasant Cantata

(a very young Thomas Hampson was baritone soloist for these concerts)

1980

Cantata 158 - Der Friede sei mit dir........... J.S. Bach

Cantata 32 - Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen

Cantata 208 - Hunting Cantata

1981

Cantata 152 - Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn........... J.S. Bach

Motet — Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden

Missa Brevis in F

1982

Cantata 202- Wedding Cantata........... J.S. Bach

Cantata 8 - Liebster Gott, wann werd’ ich sterben

Magnificat........... C.P.E. Bach

Opera: Pimpinone, or The Unequal Marriage........... Telemann

Ballet Music from Hippolyte et Aricie........... Rameau

1983

Cantata 212 - Peasant Cantata........... J.S. Bach

Cantata 49 - Ich geh’ und suche mit Verlangen

Motet - Singet dem Herrn

Cantata 213 - Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen

La Fête du Soleil (scene from the Second Act of Les Indes Galantes)........... Rameau

1984

Cantata 211 - Coffee Cantata........... J.S. Bach

Cantata 56 - Ich will den Kreutzstab gerne tragen (Max van Egmont, soloist)

St. John Passion

1985 (last year I did the festival)

Cantata 50........... Bach (combined with the PLU Choir of the West—we were on tour)

Magnificat in D (with Christmas interpolations from earlier Magnificat in Eb)