Audience witnesses a magical moment when Quasthoff takes the stage.

Byline: Concert review by Janos Gereben For The Register-Guard

WHEN HE FIRST appeared on the scene, Thomas Quasthoff astonished audiences as a singer. More recently, he has made them cry as an artist, communicating great music and deep feelings in a direct, personal manner. Now he has gone beyond all that.

First, before attempting to place the Quasthoff of today in context, here's an extremely short report on his Oregon Bach Festival concert Tuesday night, one which may be meaningful only to those familiar with his work. He has never been better. He has gone to a new level, another dimension. Full stop, end of short report.

I realize it's hard to believe, but it's true. At 42, Quasthoff is on the hero's path of adventure through rites of passage, in a process defined by the late Joseph Campbell, heading toward - perhaps already arriving at - transfiguration.

He is no longer "just a singer," not even, as he is justifiably called, a great, unique singer. He has transformed into a kind of cultural icon, the classical music equivalent of Elvis, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones put together. He makes a difference in people's lives, with his artistry, his joy in music and life, his example of overcoming unimaginable hardship and challenges with grace, courage and a kind of seductive elegance.

And, most important for an artist, Quasthoff brings these elements into his work, instead of allowing them to become fodder for tabloids.

All this may sound excessive or just plain silly, just as silly as those uniform grins of enjoyment and love on 2,300 upturned faces in Silva Concert Hall, deep silences exploding into ovation after each work Tuesday night. This was a living, breathing, growing event, a happening, an experience embracing musicians and listeners.

In the world of "just singing," there would have been separate entities: Quasthoff singing from his special platform, Jeffrey Kahane conducting, Kathleen Lenski acting as concertmaster, Michael Nowak heading the orchestra's exceptional viola section, Steve Pologe as principal cellist, Allan Vogel playing his virtuoso oboe in the J.S. Bach obbligato, all the orchestra doing the assigned tasks, the audience listening and applauding at the right places.

That's not what happened. Instead of separate entities and egos, it all fused - a singer, conductor, musicians, audience breathing together, a community of music enveloped in a glow. Nothing touchy-feely about this, just a factual report.

At the head of the procession, Quasthoff, with Bach's heartbreaking (`I wish to leave this body"), elevating, accepting, death/redemp- tion-welcoming cantata, "Ich habe genug," performed without a trace of sentimentality, delivering faith beyond religion. Between that great, soaring voice (in a quiet but commanding mode) and the orchestra's velvet carpet underneath, silences resounded, channeling peace and a friendly eternity.

Although Quasthoff has progressed beyond pulling at heartstrings, the lullaby of "Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen" left few dry eyes in the house.

W.A. Mozart arias for bass and orchestra followed an intermission that was absolutely necessary after "Ich habe genug." Mastering the range from funny to heroic, passionate to noble, enraged to playful, Quasthoff's delivery represented the best of operatic and lieder traditions in "Alcandro, lo confesso ... ," the riotous "Rivolgete a lui lo squadro" and the ultra-romantic (for Mozart) "Per questa bella mano," with David Williamson's tremendous double bass obbligato.

There was "Hai gia vinta la causa," recitative and aria from "The Marriage of Figaro," and an encore, a uniquely sung "In diesen heil'gen Hallen" from Mozart's "The Magic Flute." In the latter, he interpreted Sarastro as a man of warmth, not the usual remote, towering figure of authority. Clearly, this would be a better world with leaders such as Quasthoff's Sarastro - or just Quasthoff. Let's draft him for office.

After all that good stuff, here's a downer: Festival concerts are no longer recorded for broadcast. The problem is the usual lack of funds at the advent of the country's unfortunate "new economy." The result is that this concert, and the rest of the festival, will live on only in the fond memories of the audience.

That's not enough, not at all. Why not record and archive concerts, securing union permission with a promise not to make commercial use of the material, and save these tapes until arrangements can be made? As of now, it doesn't matter what happens in the future; the present is already lost.

Janos Gereben is arts editor of Post Newspapers and a reviewer for San Francisco Classical Voice.

TODAY

July 4

10 a.m. - Classical Kids Film: "Beethoven Lives Upstairs" (Soreng)

5 p.m. - Lecture-demon- stration: Tan Dun (Silva)

FRIDAY

July 5

Noon - On the House: Al Huang (Soreng)

5 p.m. - Discovery Series IV: Bach Christmas Oratorio, part 4, Helmuth Rilling (Beall Concert Hall)

8 p.m. - Festival Chorus and Orchestra: Tan Dun "Water Passion After St. Matthew," Tan Dun, conductor (Silva)

GUARDLINE: For information on schedule changes, ticket availability, etc., call GuardLine at 485-2000 and select category 2224