Clifford Pugh of The Houstonian wrote an article titled, “Please Stop Giving Absolutely Everything a Standing Ovation”

Call me old-fashioned, but I believe a standing ovation should be a precious thing saved only for that rare occasion where something is so extraordinary and superlative that you can’t help but want to salute it in a special way.

I’m obviously in the minority.

Here at the Boston Early Music Festival, I beg to differ. Everything we hear is so extraordinary and superlative that we can’t help ourselves!

It was another concert at the Boston Early Music Festival .. another over-the-top, extraordinary performance when the BEMF Orchestra, directed by concertmaster Robert Mealy, was joined by three fantastic singers, Emöike Barath (alto), Teresa Wakim (soprano), and Christian Immler (baritone), and two dancers, Caroline Copeland and Pierre-François Dollé. 

Featured was “the theatrical orchestra of Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764),” more specifically, the music from Castor et Pollus (1737/1754) and Dardanus (1739), two operas Rameau composed after turning fifty.

According to Robert Mealy, who wrote the program notes, Rameau was a contemporary of Bach and Handel, but he didn’t write his first opera until he was over fifty, and nothing is known of his life before then.

I especially liked the way Mealy described Rameau’s departure as organist of Clermont Cathedral: “Finally, in 1722, he decided it was time to make the great move. His contract at the Clermont Cathedral still had twenty-one years left to run, but he made a practice of combining organ stops in such unpleasant ways that the authorities finally let him go.”

Ha ha!

What was so interesting was that the orchestra was seemingly conductorless, outside of a few conducting gestures from concertmaster Mealy. However, he sat on a higher chair from the other members of the orchestra so that all could see him without obstruction. So it was not so obvious that he maintained tight control.

The three singers were all incredible, but I especially enjoyed the soprano, Teresa Wakim. Her voice was as clear as a bell, with perfect intonation, and her high notes were effortless. I understand that the two women  also perform in the Steffani opera (which I will see the last of four performances on Sunday.)

If ever you get a chance to visit Boston during BEMF week, I strongly urge you to get tickets to see any of the performances. They’re all phenomenal, all standing ovation-worthy!