Last night’s program began with a strikingly dark-hued and richly textured account of Antonio Caldara’s “Crucifixus à 16’’ for chorus and organ, its expansive polyphony conjuring a vast sense of space. A crisp and lively traversal of Mozart’s “Venite Populi’’ followed, and so did excerpts from Act II of Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice.’’
The Gluck, in particular, found the orchestra in excellent form, dispatching this work as a kind of theatrically vital chamber music. Orfeo’s arrival at the underworld in search of his beloved sounded duly harrowing here, even if there were several spots that could have benefited from a more nuanced managing of dynamics and tone color. Iestyn Davies was the countertenor, singing with an appealing, pure voice and a poised delivery, though only a portion of Orfeo’s deep emotion, his wrenching interior drama, came across the footlights.
After intermission, Christophers led the H&H chorus and orchestra in a clear, articulate, and highly rewarding performance of the Mass in C Minor. The overall sound had sufficient heft and definition, yet this account felt light on its feet, solemn where called for, yet also theatrically vivid. The quartet of vocal soloists -- Gillian Keith, Tove Dahlberg, Thomas Cooley, and Nathan Berg -- were all capable, with Keith and Dahlberg particularly strong. The “Et incarnatus est,’’ the work’s most magical moment, in which the soprano soloist is exquisitely showcased with wind trio, was the highpoint, as of course it should be. The program repeats tomorrow afternoon in Symphony Hall.
Jeremy Eichler can be reached at jeichler@globe.com.
