An enriching morning of cheerful music
played with great skill and spirit. (Review by Keith Millar)
After a successful stint at the Harare
International Festival of Arts in Zimbabwe, where they were the invited to be
the resident orchestra and perform four concerts, Durban’s celebrated Baroque
2000 ensemble returned to the Mariannhill Monastery Church on last Sunday to
present their May concert.
This year the ensemble is celebrating 20
years of making fine music together and yesterday’s concert certainly
contributed to the celebrations as they performed an enchanting, cheerful and
very entertaining concert, featuring music by Handel, Telemann and Biber.
George Frideric Handel’s contribution to
the programme was his Concerto Grosso Op 6 No 1 in G major.
Handel started using his concertos as
intermission music during his oratorios in 1735. In 1739, in a period of just five
weeks, he composed a set of 12 Grand Concertos which included the piece played
at this concert. The music may have been written in a hurry and to be used as a
filler, but it is quite glorious in its own right. Cheerful and lyrical, it was
played with aplomb by the ensemble and set the tone for the rest of the
concert.
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644 –
1704) was a Bohemian-Austrian composer and violinist. He is regarded as one of
the most important composers for the violin of all time. During his lifetime,
his music was known and imitated throughout Europe.
In 1673 he wrote Battalia a 9, a programmatic "battle" piece. This
fascinating composition is in eight short movements. Each of which depicts a
phase of the battle, from its preparation to its aftermath. The graphic and
descriptive music is enhanced with the inclusion of unusual effects such as
foot stomping, violent plucking of strings, and the tapping of bows against the
bows on the bodies of the instruments to create unusual rhythms. It proved to
be an exciting and very listenable piece of music.
There were two pieces of music from Georg
Philipp Telemann on the programme. The first was the Concerto for Viola in G
Major. This allowed Baroque 2000 stalwart, violist David Snaith, the
opportunity to feature his considerable skills with this this rich, dark-toned
instrument. He gave an inspiring performance of the splendid music.
Completing the programme was Telemann’s
wonderful Burlesque – Don Quixote suite.
This light-hearted piece is as every bit as eccentric and humorous as the
famous novel which Telemann used as inspiration for the work. It was a fitting
conclusion to an enriching morning of cheerful music played with great skill
and spirit by the Baroque 2000 orchestra.
The next Baroque 2000 concert will take
place on June 4 and will feature the talented harpsichordist from Cape Town,
Eric Dippenaar. Thereafter the Baroque 2000 ensemble will take a two month
break.
They return on September 3 with a very
special and popular guest soloist in violinist Joanna Frankel, previous
concertmaster of the KZNPO.
Tickets for Baroque 2000 concerts are R150
at the door. Also, note that the Monastery tea garden will be open, and that
there is ample free and safe parking available.at the venue
For any queries about concerts, or for
bookings, contact the Baroque 2000 Director, Michel Schneuwly on 031 312 5539
or 082 303 5241 or email sursouth@iafrica.com
– Keith Millar
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