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St. Ann's Academy Chapel
November 23, 2007
The exiled Queen Christina of Sweden arrived in Rome in 1655 and quickly became the centre of a vibrant musical circle that included the leading Roman composers of the time. This performance - a debut of sorts - was designed to provide a sample of the rich musical fare on offer at the Queen's soirees. I say that this was a debut "of sorts" since Island Baroque presented its inaugural performance last spring, but under the name Anima Baroque. Since that time, Colin Tilney, has become a regular member of the ensemble rather than a guest artist.
Since this was a second performance, the main question in my mind was whether the ensemble would be able to escape the dreaded "sophomore curse", so well-known to hockey players. Unfortunately, the answer was "not entirely." The cold dry weather played havoc with instruments so accustomed to Victoria's mild but damp weather. (The gut-strung baroque instruments are much more susceptible to meteorological changes than are their modern counterparts.) Still despite the weather, and the occasional consequent flaws in intonation, this was a rewarding evening of music making.
The evening began with three selections from Marini's Sonate per ogni sorte d'stromento, opera XXII (Venice, 1655). This was an excellent way for the new ensemble to begin a concert. Marini was one of the first composers of baroque chamber music and what better place to begin than at the beginning. Years ago, when Vancouver's Pacific Baroque Orchestra was first starting up, Marc Destrubé consciously began by programming music from the early baroque (including works by Marini) as a way of cultivating in his musicians, some of them new to baroque instruments and baroque repertoire, the sensibilities required for baroque performance. It is always better to approach repertoire with knowledge of what came before it, rather than from the perspective of later music. (Although Meyers and Kohut are experienced and talented musicians, they are both fairly new to baroque instruments.)
Marini and his contemporaries were, in many ways, breaking new musical ground and his works, and those of slightly earlier composers, have an improvised, almost jazz-like character. It is a tribute to these musicians that they succeeded in conveying the desired sense of novelty and vitality. The music seemed as fresh and vital as it was 400 years ago.
Arcangelo Corelli was represented by three works, beginning with his violin sonata Op. 5, No. 3. Here we have works, not 50 years later that Marini's, that are in the classic baroque style. Meyer adopted a rather sensuous approach to the music, never a bad idea if you have the beautiful tone to bring it off. She was not so stylistically self-conscious that she was afraid to introduce a little vibrato. At times, I thought that her playing was a little tentative, perhaps betraying her relative inexperience with the baroque violin. Or perhaps it was just that I am used to hearing this work played in a somewhat different manner. These days, the style among baroque violinists is to aim for taut, strongly characterized playing. For example, in the last movement of something like this sonata, many players would lean on the down strokes a little more vigorously. Still, this was a thoughtful performance, well worth hearing.
I was really sold on the Stradella sinfonia that ensued. I always think of Stradella as a transitional character, part way between the early baroque composers such as Marini and mature baroque composers such as Corelli. The result is that some ensembles don't really know what sort of approach to take to this composer. Island Baroque represented him as very much continuous with the earlier composers: a producer of quirky, experimental music. The performance effectively brought out all of the idiosyncrasies of the music.
The second half of the concert began with two keyboard works by Frescobaldi, the earliest works on the programme: the Toccata No. 7 from the Second Book of Toccatas (1627) and the Cento Partite sopra Passachagli (1637). These are extravagant pieces, alternating quick passaggi (roughly, passage work) and more meditative sections called affetti. The use of dissonance is often striking. Frescobaldi prefaced his keyboard publications with detailed instructions on how to play them: in a word, he wanted them to be, well, baroque.
Like many performers, Tilney did not follow these instructions to the letter. Nevertheless, I once again marveled at how, without availing himself of overstated gestures, he is able capture a strong sense of spontaneity and plumb the affetti on display. These were beguiling performances.
Martin Bonham's solo turn came in the form of a sonata for cello and basso continuo by Alessandro Scarlatti. In the previous incarnation of this ensemble, Bonham played his viola da gamba. The use of the cello on this occasion provided a striking contrast. By comparison to the viola da gamba, the cello seemed somehow almost coarse and vulgar. But do not think that this is a criticism of Bonham. He took advantage of the cello's earthier tone to turn in a strong performance.
The evening concluded with the final two works by Corelli, his Trio Sonatas Op. 1, No, 9, and Op. 2, No. 12. I particularly enjoyed the performance of the latter piece, a Ciacona. The ensemble did a fine job of capturing the forward rhythmic impulse of a form that was, in its origins, a popular dance.
It is interesting to observe the differences between the playing of Meyer and Kohut. They hold their instruments quite differently. They also hold their bows differently: Meyer near the end, Kohut closer to the middle. They draw different tones from the instruments. But all this is good. Baroque music is all about striking contrasts.
This is an ensemble that is still growing. Their performances are not as tight as period instrument groups that have played together a lot and for a long time. Still, if you love baroque music, particularly when played (as it should be) on baroque instruments, you are doing yourself a major disservice if you do not go out to hear them.
More people attended this performance than the one I reviewed last June. I predict that it will not be long before this accomplished ensemble outgrows the lovely confines of St. Ann's Academy, and its acoustic, so perfect for early chamber music. That will be a shame, but this ensemble deserves a large audience.
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