(Stephane Pechoux & Ralitsa Pechoux. Pic by Val Adamson)
The Baroque 2000 orchestra, under the leadership of Concertmaster Ralitza Macheva, is certainly a Durban treasure. They always play with ebullience, skill and panache. (Review by Keith Millar)
The Baroque 2000 concert which was performed last Sunday (October 10, 2021) was their first since May and only their second this year. And what a delight it was get back to the picturesque Mariannhill Monastery Church and hear some beautiful music performed by real live musicians.
The programme offered a varied choice and featured Spanish dance music, fencing, comedy, excellent Vivaldi cello music and plenty of percussion.
It was a joyful selection and was much enjoyed by the audience and, from appearances, by the ensemble as well.
The Baroque 2000 orchestra, under the leadership of Concertmaster Ralitza Macheva, is certainly a Durban treasure. They always play with ebullience, skill and panache. Last Sunday’s concert was no different and was a strong reminder of how much we have missed since the onset of the Covid pandemic.
The highlight of the concert for me was Antonio Vivaldi’s exquisite Concert for Cello in D Minor. One of 27 concertos he wrote for solo cello (he wrote an staggering 500 concertos altogether during in his lifetime). The cello was relatively new in Vivaldi’s time, but he had a deep understanding of the tonal nuances of the instrument, and this is reflected by the range of emotions in his compositions.
The soloist for this piece was KZNPO and Baroque 2000 stalwart Ralitsa Perechoux. She delivered a gracious and sensitive rendition of this wonderful music.
Also in the category of sublime music was Jean Philippe Rameau’s Dance pour les Sauvages from his opera Les Indes Galantes (The Amorous Indies). The four acts of the opera have distinct and separate plots but are all based on the theme of love in exotic places. The Sauvages (Savages) referred to are American Indians.
The Austrian composer Johann Heinrich Schmeltzer’s Die Frechtschule (The Fencing School).was also performed. Apparently fencing and playing the violin use the same hand movements and muscles and in the 1700 both pursuits were very popular among young men. It is a lively work with the movement depicting the fight being particularly dramatic.
Also included in the programme was Luigi Boccherini’s Fandango from his First Quintet in D Major. A lively crowd pleaser with plenty of castanets and Spanish rhythms.
Heinrich Biber’s Battalia a 9 is a rather humorous piece. It is believed that the work is Biber’s ironic observation of the devastation of the Thirty Year War.
The final work heard was Arcangelo Corelli’s Concerto Grosso Op6 No4.
The next concert will take place on Sunday November 7, 2021, at 11h30. It will include the Ensemble Caprice from Canada along with the Baroque 2000 orchestra. The title of the concert is Baroque-Salsa.
For more information contact Michel Schneuwly at sursouth@iafrica.com or on 082 303 5241 – Keith Millar
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