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Church of St. John the Divine
May 4, 2013
I find, as I looked back over my files, that I have reviewed Les Amusements de la Chambre on three previous occasions, most recently last June. (For a review of that concert, see here.) As I sat down and examined the programme, I was a little disappointed. Last year, some unfamiliar music was introduced, but the bulk of this programme was taken up by two familiar compositions: François Couperin's Le Parnasse, ou L'Apothéose de Corelli and L'Apothéose de Lulli, the works he composed in honour of the exemplars of, respectively, the Italian and French styles.
In the end, I need not have worried and there was much to enjoy. The programme began with Le Parnasse and right from the beginning the tempi struck me as perfectly judged and each of the programmatic movements was nicely characterised. For example, the first movement (whose full title is Corelli au pied du Parnasse prie les Muses de le Recevoir parmi elles) was nicely plaintive and beseeching. In contrast, the second movement (Corelli Charmé de la bonne reception qu'on lui fait au Parnasse, en marquee Sa Joye. Il continuë avec ceux qui L'accompagnent) was expressive of the joy Corelli feels on being received among the muses. The bubbling fountain was clearly audible in the third movement, Corelli buvant à la Source D'hypocrêne. Sa Troupe continue. The piece culminates with the Remerciment de Corelli, where Corelli produces some dignified and learned imitative writing - nothing frivolous - to honour the muses.
While the musicians' conception of this work was beyond reproach, the execution fell a little short. For a start, it was performed on modern violins using modern bows. I understand why this was: Les Amusements were working with Hannah Burton, who seems to have no experience of the baroque instrument. The violinists turned in clean, vibratoless performances. Nevertheless, particularly in this French repertoire, the modern violin seemed a little strident. Burton, although clearly an accomplished violinist, is not a regular partner of Clark and Redhead and at times the music seemed a little under-rehearsed.
Perhaps the highlight of the afternoon was Clark's performance of a suite of pieces de clavecin in F Major by Louis Couperin, uncle of François. These pieces don't look like much on the page and nearly everything depends on tasteful performance, which these received on this occasion. The suite began with an unmeasured Prelude, freely and elegantly rendered. The Allemande Grave was ineffably evocative, the Courante lively, and the Sarabande elusive and whistful - Clark made effective use of the harpsichord's registers to bring out this effect. The Branle de basque was a tasty little bonbon before the Tombeau de M. de Blancrocher, one of the most famous pieces of seventeenth-century keyboard music. The Tombeau was given a thoughtful and affecting performance.
The first half of the programme concluded with a piece by the contemporary Canadian composer, Linda Caitlin Smith, Rose with Thorns. This piece for violin and harpsichord, commissioned by Les Amusements, is written in a modern idiom but is nonetheless accessible. It has an intriguing bitter sweet character and would certainly repay another listening.
The second half was devoted entirely to all fifteen movements of L'Apothéose de Lulli. Highlights included Rumeur souteraine: Causée par les auteurs Contemporains de Lulli, which was given an amusing performance, and the following movement, Plaintes de Mêmes. This was notable for its spare accompaniment on the harpsichord - Clark used only her right hand - and the success the musicians had in evoking a sense of pity for the inferior rivals of Lully. The Saillie featured some particularly imaginative continuo playing from Clark, who is certainly one of the finest Canadian harpsichordists of her generation.
Although I was disappointed by the use of modern violins, there was much to enjoy this afternoon. (I do not want to slight Burton in any way.) Still, if I were Katelyn Clark or Emily Redhead, I would stick to period instruments in future. There are lots of good players around now, and if they are unaffordable or unavailable, there is lots of good eighteenth-century music for violin and harpsichord. I would happily listen to an evening of Mozart sonatas for violin and keyboard on July 20th, when Les Amusement are slated to perform a programme entitled Le Salon de Mozart.
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