Colin Tilney and Friends

Christi Meyers, classical violin

Mieka Kohut, classical viola

Martin Bonham, classical cello and viola da gamba

Colin Tilney, fortepiano

Alix Goolden Performance Hall
May 4, 2008

By James Young

Billed as a performance by "Colin Tilney and Friends", this was in all but name a performance by Island Baroque, an ensemble that brings together three of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra's leading musicians and world-famous early keyboard specialist, Colin Tilney.

C,P.E. Bach spent much of the first part of his career at the court of Frederick the Great of Prussia, where he was constrained by the rococo taste of the king. Emmanuel Bach was, however, an experimental composer, and even within the stylistic limitations imposed by the king's preferences found ways to innovate, as the opening piece on this evening's concert reveals. It is an eloquent exploration of two parts (played here on viola and viola da gamba) lying in the same tessitura combined with a keyboard part (doubtlessly originally intended for harpsichord). (I cannot have been the only person present disappointed that the bass recorder part was played on viola da gamba.)

Particularly in the slow first movement of this piece, I felt that Kohut (still new to historically informed performance) was coming at this piece via the nineteenth century. We heard a way too much vibrato, particularly in the slow first movement. For goodness sake, vibrato was added to the pizzicato passages. The musicians went to some effort to ensure that the instruments were appropriate to the music, but the way that they are played is just as important. (Bonham and Tilney, in contrast, were entirely HIP.) Still, the musicians succeeded in displaying that this superficially conventional piece is full of charm and even has some emotional heft.

Next up was Beethoven's Seven Variations on the Theme "Bein Männern, Welche Liebe ühl" from Mozart's Magic Flute. Mozart's singspiel premiered just over a year before the young Beethoven arrived in Vienna and it made a huge impact on him. Almost a decade later, in 1801, he composed these rather quirky variations. The cello part is technically demanding, but Bonham tossed it off with brio. Perhaps the cello part would have benefited from a somewhat more generous tone, particularly in the higher register, and the intonation was occasionally a little shaky. This said, I enjoyed the opportunity to hear this rather infrequently heard piece.

To my mind, the highlight of the first half was definitely the Haydn. The composer entitled this a "Sonate pour le piano-forte avec accompagnement de violon et violoncelle" so, not surprisingly, the keyboard player has to do the heavy lifting. Tilney rose to the occasion with a strong performance, but he was ably supported by his colleagues. The balance was well-nigh perfect: the strings just self-effacing enough for the fortepiano to come forward a little. The eerie quality of the second movement was nicely captured, but the third movement (though a more conventional representative of music in the 1790s) was the most deeply affecting. It was rendered with a deft, light touch and spoke directly to the heart.

An anonymous critic, writing in the "Journal des Luxus und der Moden" for June, 1788, wrote of the piano quartet K.493 that, "one can hardly bear listening to this product of Mozart's when it falls into mediocre amateurish hands and is negligently played." On the other hand, the critic continued, "What a difference when this much-advertised work of art is performed with the highest degree of accuracy by four skilled musicians who have studied it carefully." I am pleased to report that this was a thoroughly rewarding performance by four skilled musicians.

But let me begin with a quibble. After this, I will shut up about the vibrato, but I found a little distracting the fact that both Meyers and Kohut used lots (way too much, to my mind) while Bonham used none. The musicians need to be on the same page here. I think that, in this instance, the page should be Bonham's, but in any case, get on the same page. The second movement of this piece is one in which a bit of vibrato can be tastefully employed, but the fact that it was overused both in this movement and elsewhere reduced its impact.

OK, now that I have that off my chest, let me say that this was a performance of real stature. The lengthy first movement, though taken at an unhurried, perfectly considered tempo, seemed to slide by: time flies when you are having a good time. It had a feeling of perpetual and effortless motion. The second movement was, even with the v*br*t*, lovely. The third movement is most dramatic of the three and the drama was nicely rendered,

Prior to attending this performance I listened to a recording featuring Malcolm Bilson (Arkiv) and another with the fortepianist Steven Lubin (Harmonia Mundi France). I have to say that Tilney's playing compares favourably with either of the other members of the fortepiano fraternity: it was always fluid, stylish and engaging. At the conclusion of the concert, Meyers gestured towards Tilney, as if giving him credit. He certainly deserved it - but the credit was not all his.