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Renaissance Music ReviewNotes from a Baroque GroupieIf you are lucky enough, once in a while in your life you will have one of those experiences that makes you say to yourself “I must have made some seriously smart moves to end up here, in this particular place, at this particular time”. Unfortunately, conventional wisdom also dictates that even if you are lucky enough to have one of these ‘pinch me can this be happening?’ moments it will be episodic and fleeting in nature. It seems to be unheard of that these moments can last a whole week. Up until now. The second year of the reinvented Renaissance Festival changed all that for at least one person. By now you will have got the point that the editor really enjoyed the music! Along with theatre at the Fortezza and the impressive opening and closing ceremonies we had seven marvellous musical evenings at the Neratze Mosque. Many thanks to all those who helped to make this event so fantastic. The Bugle crew went to every musical performance and enjoyed each of them in different ways. Here are some of the impressions that we came away with…. Intimacy and Accessibility
The setting - the Neratze Mosque - friendly atmosphere, warmth and charisma of the performers and even the price of the tickets (5 euros!) all helped to contribute to this unique experience. For us, by and large, the music programme struck just the right balance. We were able to enjoy familiar favourites such as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, we were also introduced to less well known composers and musical forms. For many of the performances the seating arrangement (chairs arranged in a semi circle) also helped to create a more intimate feel. The week started with a performance by the Ensemble Spirale, which showcased early music for the viola da gamba, accompanied by harpsichord and theorbe / guitar. The pieces played included works by Couperin and Marais; but the editor was particularly impressed by the performance of the ‘Prélude en ré mineur’ and the ‘Concert à deux violes égales’ by Ste Colombe. The second evening was one that many of the international community had been looking forward to for weeks – ever since the word went out that the world famous soprano Dame Emma Kirkby was coming to town. She didn’t disappoint - giving us a beatiful rendition of two Bach cantatas, accompanied by Il Tempio Armonico. The same evening we were also treated to an astonishing performance of the Badinierie movement from Bach’s Overture No. 2 in B minor by Franc Theuns on traverse flute. ‘Frank the flute’ (as he is known round our way) played this movement at what seemed to us to be an impossible speed, whilst still managing to maintain a beautiful quality of sound.
For us, one of the most intruiging evenings was ‘Fermate il Passo! The origin of the Recitativo between Music and Poetry in Italy at the beginning of XVI Century.’ performed by VivaBiancaLuna Biffi, (voice and viola d'arco) and Maria Christina Cleary, on harp. This celebration of ‘Frottola’, predecessor to the madrigal, was structured round an opera format, with love as its central them and was presented in three acts. Fermate il passo made use of a variety of early texts - including work by Ovid and Macchiavelli - in a surprisingly uplifting way. Tallis Scholars: Music that Moves
All too soon, though, the Festival came to an end. We can only hope that all these wonderful performers enjoyed their time in Rethymnon so much that they will want to come back next year! |
Later in the week we were treated to further memorable performances by Franc Theuns and Il Tiempo Armonico (which includes Davide Monti on violin, Alberto Rasi on viola da gamba and Lerenzo Feder on harpsichord) of Bach, Vivaldi and Dall ’Abaco. We were also moved by Martin Oro (counter tenor) and his passionate interpretation of some of Handel’s operatic works.
The grand finale to the musical week came with the Tallis Scholars who sang variations of Miserere and Magnificat. When the editor (an Oxford native) first heard that the Tallis Scholars were coming to sing here in Rethymnon she couldn’t imagine how this was going to work. Church music associated with cold college chapels being sung in a mosque, to a predominantly Greek Orthodox audience during a heatwave. She needn’t have worried. The Tallis scholars took the building and made it their own, demonstrating that the best music knows no boundaries of time and space. Their singing was out of this world - impossible to do justice to on the printed page. Let’s just say that it was one of the most extraordinary musical experiences we have ever had. It was a real privilege to have been there, and the Bugle Baroque groupie was walking on air for days afterwards!
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SHARK SAYS: "who knows what the minnows know?”" |
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© 2009 Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle |
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