La Nuova Musica consists of a small band of musicians: a cellist and an organist, plus a group of seven singers serving as a chorus, as well as some soloists. Despite their modest size, the group filled Trinity College Chapel with an energetic evening of Schütz and Bach as part of Cambridge Early Music’s ongoing concert series this year.

The group performed a selection of motets by Schütz from Kleine geistliche Konzerte and motets by Bach. The first motet, ‘Eile mich, Gott, zu erretten’ by Schütz was a passionate rendering of the piece, with alto Esther Brazil providing a taste of the rousing music to come. Next the audience was treated to ‘Komm, Jesu, komm’, a piece which included the full instrumental and vocal power of the group, energetically directed by David Bates. The piece starts with subtly intertwining vocals, but then is invigorated as the tone becomes more rejoicing.

Three Schütz motets followed with varying soloists, showcasing emotional performances of the relatively short pieces. The two sopranos, Charmian Bedford and Augusta Hebbert, provided a particularly engaging performance of Schütz’s ‘Erhöre mich, wenn ich rufe’. Their melancholic tone reflected the quiet power of the lyrics.

The entire group then collaborates to perform an invigorating rendition of Bach’s ‘Jesu, meine Freude’. The group engaged with the emotional core of the piece, showcasing the motet’s diversity. The emphases on ‘nicht’, in addition to the heavy pauses after the word, brought gravitas to the lyrics.

In contrast, the fifth verse is rousing and defiant, the bass singers bringing strength to lyrics such as ‘trotz der Furcht dazu’ (defiance to fear as well!). The group moved smoothly between the different themes and tones of the piece, to finally provide a well-rounded and satisfying final verse.

Their rendition of Bach’s ‘Der Geist hilft’, highlighted Bates’ energetic and joyful direction of the group. He pushed and pulled out the sublime harmonies, and expertly rounds off the chorus. Schütz’s ‘Sei gegrüsset, Maria’ was a particularly emotive piece and the two soloists are to be congratulated for their subtle and reflective performance of the piece. The group’s final motet, ‘Singet dem Herrn’, provided a rejoicing and zesty performance to finish off their repertoire. The repetition of ‘Singet’ and the enunciation of the harsh ‘t’ consonant punctuated the deep, rich harmonies.

Despite the group’s size, Nuova Musica gave us diverse motets with various tones and different choral configurations. The overall performance showed their versatility, showcasing the strengths of their members. They are to be congratulated on their exuberant and emotive evening.