The early music scene took a long time to gain traction in Australia. The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) always showed an affinity towards an informed style and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra has also been operating since the 1990s. However, there has not been much competition to their work until the last decade or so, when several other organizations started diligent and productive work, based on scholarly research. They are all interested in historically informed performances and, therefore work as period instrument groups. One of them, the Bach Akademie Australia, is in the midst of an extensive series of concerts on the east coast of the country with American countertenor Reginald Mobley–their first national tour.

Their thoughtfully compiled program centered (with one exception) on German protestant music from the first half of the 18th century, beginning with a Lament for alto and instrumental ensemble by Johann Christoph Bach–described as the “profound composer” in his younger cousin, Johann Sebastian Bach’s obituary. We know about this work, “Ach, dass ich Wassers gnug hätte,” mainly because it was included in the Altbachisches Archiv (ABA, old-Bachian archive), a fascinatingly curious collection of chorale works written by members of the Bach family, kept for a long time by Johann Sebastian who eventually gave it to his second oldest son, Carl Philipp Emanuel for safe keeping. The ensemble consisted of only one violin but two violas and continuo and the performance featured Reginald Mobley’s silky and smooth voice. The soloist stood well in front of the instrumentalists, as if leaving them to follow his every musical gesture, which in the case of such a small ensemble is less than ideal. They did a fine job, though.

A larger group of musicians gathered on stage to perform J. S. Bach’s Orchestral Suite No.2 in B minor BWV 1067, one of the four orchestral overtures by the composer, for solo flute and strings with continuo. The demanding, at times virtuosic, solo was taken by Mikaela Oberg, playing with a warm tone and great musical preparation on her wooden flute. Her best moments came when she was accompanied by only the sympathetic continuo group and she could easily be heard, and her phrasing was able to flow freely. The ensemble, led by artistic director, Madeleine Easton on violin, played in a lovely style but unfortunately too often overpowered the delicate sound of the flute, most noticeably in the Rondeaux and the pair of Bourrée movements. The chosen tempo for the famous final Badineire was lightning fast but made good musical sense; elsewhere, for example in the penultimate, Menuet movement, it felt rushed and lost its jovial, characteristically dancing character.

J. S. Bach’s hauntingly sincere sacred Cantata BWV 82 “Ich habe genug” has survived in various versions; it seemed to be so important for the composer that parts of it were even copied into his second wife, Anna Magdalena’s own notebook. It consists of three arias and two recitativos in between them. The exposed countertenor solo is regularly assisted by an obbligato oboe part, lovingly and tastefully played here by Mark Baigent. While Mobley’s voice is most attractive with its solid intonation and mellifluous tone, (with a slight stretch of imagination) evoking the sensation of soft honey poured onto a rich, dark toast, his voice radiated a ubiquitous gentleness, whereas this cantata poses deep questions about our own mortality and the joy (or the doubts?) regarding the afterworld. His artistic purpose seemed to be undecided in the tender aria “Schlummert ein” with an overly uniform sound and even more so during the outcry of last recitativo “Mein Gott!”, which could have given room to more human qualms.

Antonio Vivaldi’s antiphonal settings of Salve Regina R.616 was a slightly odd choice, the one catholic composition different in spirit, style or language from the protestant surroundings of the rest of the program. This composition gave full room for the whole ensemble to blossom in full energy; in particular, to all the six continuo players (two on baroque cello, one each on double bass, theorbo, harpsichord and chamber organ) of this ensemble–all of them masters of their chosen craft!–to propel the musical proceedings forward. In the central “Ad te suspiramus” section, Oberg’s flute playing came through much clearer than earlier in the program and the intensity level of the following unisono section was palpable and very welcome. One minor comment, possibly very difficult to resolve: the second orchestra (or Coro Secondo, as the score states), turning away from the audience, but facing the first, sounded noticeably smaller for acoustic reasons.

The final item was J. S. Bach’s short but exuberantly performed Cantata BWV 54 “Widerstehe doch der Sünde.” In the central recitativo, Mobley presented a very different artistic attitude from his earlier one, as he vigorously changed tempos, volumes and vocal characters to make the contrast between “Sodom’s apples” and “God’s kingdom,” as indeed, the evocative text and music requires it. More antiphonal music followed in the last movement between violins and violas and the prominently chromatic theme proved that in that world (as in ours today…) there are plenty of conflicts remaining to be resolved.