Love and war

This is a theme that's around with the new film of The Odyssey but it's nothing new.  Two of our major classical music groups combined to do a program on this very topic, Guerrieri et Amorosi, Warriors and lovers, highlighting madrigals by Barbara Strozzi and Claudio Monteverdi, two major composers in mid/late-1600s Venice, Monteverdi older than Strozzi but both prolific and renowned, if Barbara is lesser so these days.  And a few instrumental pieces by Apeiron in respite by GB Vitali and Scarlatti.  Madrigals were written for solo voices, one for each part, and MD Dan Walker highlighted the challenge of this fluid music for a choir and Oriana did a wonderful presentation to my ears, capably accompanied by our renowned locals Apeiron Baroque as a quintet.  The themes suggest a more martial awareness by CM with an amorous sinfonia exploding into martial music, love portrayed as a literal disaster although later Cupid being praised rather than Mars.  Maybe because this Eighth Book of Madrigals is dedicated to the newly crowned Holy Roman Emperor.  Other the other hand, I note a sweetly sung song about an Athenian Maiden raped by the King of Thrace (lyrics by BS's father), a song on affections of the mind (Yearning, desire...) and an argument over sources of joy which resolved to a single kiss.  But this is just a sampler and my notes are just a borrowing from the program anyway.  But the song, the accompaniment, the vocals solos were a thing of great pleasure.  Again a warmly received concert and a full hose at Wesley for an imposing musical pairing.

Oriana Chorale was accompanied by Apeiron Baroque at Wesley with a program of madrigals by Claudio Monteverdi and Barbara Strozzi.  Oriana Chorale was conducted by Dan Walker (MD) with sometimes soloists Ali Hardy and Jade McFaul (sopranos), Oliver Bruhl, Cody Christopher and David Faraker (tenors) and Patrick Baker, Neil Bulleid and Joshua Dunne (basses).  Apeiron Baroque comprised John Ma and Brad Tham (violins), Marie Searles (harpsichord), Anton Baba (cello) and James Holland (theorbo).

Crux

Australian Haydn Ensemble called the concert Heavenly Sopranos and sure enough most of the program featured a soprano and mezzo pairing.  AHE doesn't often perform with singers (3/28 posts on CJ).   This program featured several works by Johann Adolf Hasse, a renowned opera composer in his time,, Francesco Durante, a teacher of Pergolesi, and the feature, Stabat Mater by Pergolesi, who, interestingly, died young aged 28.  Stabat Mater has been around this Easter.  There were two other performances before this one.  I missed both but it was a topic of discussion.  Easter usually has a few double-ups, as there are recent historical double ups from Beethoven.  The playing was superb, as expected.  The styles of this era aren't too challenging, but I still was breathtaken by the unity of many lines, especially where all strings double timed with unison fills or where the violins expressed together or partly with viola.  There was a theorbo, too, quiet but often identifiable as a guitar plucked tone, and this bassist was hugely admiring of Pippa's obvious international experience and delicate skills.  I liked the first half but was somewhat perplexed by Stabat Mater.  Yeah, her son was going to save the world but he's still dying on the cross in front of her, so why is the music quite so light?  There are touches of tragedy but not much.  But the crux of it is the baroque and church thinking of the period, I guess.  Nonetheless, a stunning bit of performance.  Loved it.

Singers Celeste Lazarenko (soprano) and Helen Sherman (mezzo soprano) were accompanied by the Australian Haydn Ensemble at Wesley.  On the night, the AHE were Skye McIntosh (director, violin), Matthew Greco (violin), Karina Schmitz (viola), Anton Baba (cello), Pippa Macmillan (bass), Simon Martyn-Ellis (theorbo) and Joanna Butler (chamber organ).

Not at all military

It's no secret that the world was a different place in the past. The past we are talking of is not so far back, just 250 years or so, the time of Mozart and Haydn, but still it was different. Music was still written for or dedicated to or performed for heads of various courts and often took a related name. I thought this listening to the Australia Haydn Ensemble, in quintet format, playing Mozart and Haydn nominated as The Emperor, First Prussian and The Military. The program had a comely pic of James sporting a revolutionary-styled poster amongst rubbish and a gilt frames. (AHE's 2020 catalogue is a beauty: gloriously presented, deliciously dressed and with a generous touch of whimsy). I missed the opening number by Boccherini (Los Parejas=The Couples, about horse parades). But the Mozart and two Haydns were lovely, attractive baroque pieces, to my ear not at all militaristic, although maybe uniform dress-coded and frolicksomely paradic. And played so nicely by our AHE mates with that baroque sensibility and genial sound in a nicely fitting space of the Wesley Church in Forrest. Just a lovely concert with no bloodshed and little discomfort (other than hard pews). A pleasure enjoyed by AHE's many Canberra followers.

The Australian Haydn Ensemble performed Boccherini, Mozart and Haydn at Wesley Church Forrest. On the night, they played as a quintet comprising Skye McIntosh and Matthew Greco (violins), James Eccles (viola), Anton Baba (cello) and Melissa Farrow (flute).

Home studio

We host musicians for the Canberra International Music Festival and we enjoy it immensely. To some degree, it's more interesting to host than to listen. It's more intimate, you learn lots, you're in the know to some degree, you get to hear some highly trained musicians practicing in your lounge room. Last year, it was Cecilia, a wonderful Dutch-Italian baroque violinist with Amati attached. This year, it was Anton Baba, cellist, again baroque, gut and bow, trained in US and Europe, now resident in Sydney and playing with all the best baroque groups and a lovely guy to boot. He was to play the Bach cello suite no.1 Gmaj on Saturday morning so we recorded it on Friday evening as an exercise. A nice record of the visit and a great training tool for Anton and his students.

Anton Baba (cello) recorded Bach during his stay for the Canberra International Music Festival.

The sounds of Spain

Our mates, the Australian Haydn Ensemble, were back in town again, this time at the Albert Hall. Just a small format of five players: a string quartet with a guitar. The theme was Spanish music at the end of the 17th Century and everyone think guitar when they think of Spain. Several works featured guitar and all had some relevance to Spain. Boccherini was Italian but he fell in love with a Spanish opera singer and toured with her company. He had two works, a string quartet (op.26 no.4 Amaj) and a guitar quintet (Fandango Gmaj). Mozart wasn't Spanish and neither was Porro who arranged his K.304, but the odd combination featured guitar with violin and cello. Canales was Spanish and worked for the Spanish court and was influenced by Boccherini. AHE played his string quartet op.3 no.2 Cmin. Perhaps the least of the connections was Haydn's op.51 Seven last words of Christ our saviour on the cross that was a profound experience for a congregation in Cadiz. But a worthy piece anyway. And one final work for solo guitar, Sor Into and variations on a theme by Mozart op.9. The strings were gut with bows to match and the guitar was an interesting modern copy of a romantic guitar by Australian Johann Stauffer: small bodied with an adjustable neck and violin-like tuning pegs. The sound of the guitar was lighter, sharper, thinner than a modern classical but it all fitted nicely to give a treble lift to the gut strings. The playing was lovely: detailed, conversational, lithe, sometimes quiet as to be discrete. And the informative chats and casual interactions after are a pleasure. Loved it yet again.

Australian Haydn Ensemble performed at Albert Hall. On the night they comprised Skye McIntosh (violin, director), Simone Slattery (violin), James Eccles (viola) and Anton Baba (cello) with guest Simon Martyn-Ellis (guitar).

What makes a group

I sat in admiration listening to the Australian Haydn Ensemble this night. It's not the first time, but it surprises me each time. I'm playing music like this now so I can feel just how difficult and inspirational is this close interaction. They all play wonderfully, of course, but the stunning thing for me was the dynamics and the close interplay. This is a group thing, a matter of togetherness, shared understanding, often of friendship or at least musical closeness. Simone shows it openly, with frequent smiles and grins. The others smile and glace less obviously or frequently but they are all eyes and ears, too. You see it as they come to a pause, or the end of a phrase, how they look up to Skye or each other. Then the exact attack, the shared fortes or denouements, at the most detailed level, within and between phrases. This is close playing and it's a key to chamber music with its intimate scale and unprotected exposure. They just did it so well and so comfortably. Jacqueline was unavailable so this was played without bass, interestingly, as much of this early classical music was written. The program was all Haydn: London Trio (flute, violin and cello), a string quartet and the Symphony no.104 London. The trio was written for home playing. I could only sit aghast thinking of the demands placed on home musos. But there was no TV in those days, so plenty of time for practice for the comfortable classes. Some lines just flawed me: from Anton's cello, or Skye's lead or Simone's responses or just how the whole group stopped then seemed to float for a lengthy pause, twice, I think, in the final movement of the symphony. I've said much of this group as they are friends and I've seen them numerous times, but I am never unsurprised. Truly lovely stuff.

Australian Haydn Ensemble performed in the Great Hall at ANU University House. AHE were Skye McIntosh (violin 1), Simone Slattery (violin 2), James Eccles (viola), Anton Baba (cello), Melissa Farrow (flute) and Nathan Cox (fortepiano).

Outlands

This was an odd concert by the Australian Haydn Ensemble in a number of ways. They mix big with small concerts and this was a smaller one, a quintet. But 2 cellos, a string quartet with double cellos? It's a strange arrangement, but there's music written for it, so it's valid and interesting and strangely satisfying. The two cellos took different roles at different times. One might be playing a bass line while the other plays melody, or unison with viola or even a melody part to respond to a violin or they might just play a line in octaves. So the first item of unusualness was the lineup. Second was the program. Mozart and Boccherini are common names on a baroque program but the works here were different. The Mozart was Fantasy in F minor, K.504 rearranged for "mechanical organ" and it was a strange thing that held little similarity to the ordered, often light, sometimes humourous music of Mozart. The first Boccherini, String quintet op.25 no.6 Amin, was Spanish-influenced and understandable enough in the baroque context but his op.30 "Night music of the streets of Madrid" was anything but. It was written by Boccherini to be performed only in Spain (the Italians are a proud people!) and not to be published outside. But it was, so we have it. It's a programmatic work, with parts named Ave Maria Bell or Soldier's drum or Minuet of blind beggars or Retreat. It tells a story. It also plays the part. First up, a strong rhythmic passage on one note from first violin; a little later, strummed chords on cellos held on laps like guitars (apparently required by the score); still later, a mad viola bowing on one note representing drums and a very challenging bowing over all four strings on violin 2, repeated a few bars later (I was amused to see Caroline's relief after carrying off each of these!). All strange, not particularly contrapuntal or otherwise baroque-like and very resonant of Spain and Flamenco. Thus oddity of this concert. Another, perhaps, was Cambini, a lesser-known baroque composer with a satisfying but fairly uneventful piece. Good to hear music like this occasionally, rather than just the masters: it gives perspective. So, an divergent but satisfying concert, for the notable playing, the humour and interesting journey, but especially for the strange but informative program.

This night the Australian Haydn Ensemble comprised Skye McIntosh and Caroline Hopson (violins), James Eccles (viola) and Anton Baba and Daniel Yeadon (cellos).

Vienna below Feather

One friend applauded this Australian Haydn Ensemble concert at the interval for its serene beauty and apt recreation of the experience of a Viennese salon. I always admire AHE's and Skye's programs for the intellectual component, the search for a theme and often the finding of a little known piece from an era. This time, too, there was one of those: a Flute Quintet by Wanhal which Skye expected had never been recorded before. Certainly there was no Wanhal Flute Quintet on the Naxos streaming service (BTW, this collection of 120,000 streaming CDs is free to members of the ACT Library Service). Skye described it as a petite concerto and demanding on flute with its use of extreme registers and wondered who it would have been written for. Otherwise, this Vienna salon had music of Hoffmeister, an early musician who managed to live relatively free of patrons, as a publisher and music teacher, Albrechtsberger and Mozart's Hoffmeister quartet. The music was variously a flute quartet and quintet and a few string quartets. The format of the AHE changes with different programs, but there's a core of performers who are regular. This time, Skye, Matthew, Melissa with Anton and Shelley. The playing is always delightful. That wooden flute and the individually expressive string sounds. I admire and learn from the cello bowing. All so light and expressive but also surprisingly voluminous in the large space which is the ANU University House Great Hall. And surprisingly apt, even fronting a wall-sized modernist mural by Leonard French.

Australian Haydn Ensemble performed Hoffmeister, Albrechtsberger, Wanhal and Mozart in the Great Hall at ANU University House. AHE comprised Skye McIntosh (artistic director, violin), Matthew Greco (violin), Shelley Sorensen (viola), Anton Baba (cello) and Melissa Farrow (flute).

Opera meets gut

It's always such a joy to catch Australian Haydn Ensemble. Admittedly they are friends and almost like family, but also because their music is intimate and dignified, light and joyous, and played with great ease and refinement. I follow Jacqueline, of course, bassist, quick and bouncy when required (which is often enough with music of this era) or easy and rich. She was paired this day with cellist Anton and the pairing worked a treat. Then our local import, Erin, conducting from the harpsichord chair, and leader Skye and second violin Matthew and viola James. And that period flute tone from Melissa. The whole works as a lovely team but the programs are also something to note. Each performance has a theme, often featuring obscure names, other times inviting guests. This time it was a fully Haydn program, with a Michael Haydn string quartet to start, then a symphony and two arias from Joseph.. Visiting soprano Celeste Lazarenko sat in for the arias and a surprise Mozart song as encore. Celeste replaced Taryn Fiebig and the Haydn/Hasse program at the last minute when Taryn came down sick. Some practices - and presumably some trepidation - later, and the performance was sweet and neat. Celeste's soprano is firm and strong (she's a principal of Opera Australia so sings in big company) and a challenge for the sweet period tones of gut, but it worked a treat. I loved her voice, loved the carefully responding musicians, Erin's casual guidance, the bouncing bows and the just-present plucks of harpsichord and diverse tones of melody from violin and flute. AHE are always a great pleasure and this was there with the best.

Australian Haydn Ensemble played at Wesley Church. AHE comprised Erin Helyard (guest director, harpsichord), Celeste Lazarenko (guest soprano), Skye McIntosh (artistic director, violin), Melissa Farrow (flute), Matthew Greco (violin), James Eccles (viola), Anton Baba (cello), Jacqueline Dossor (bass) Australian Haydn Ens, Erin Helyard, Celeste Lazarenko, Skye McIntosh, Melissa Farrow, Matthew Greco, James Eccles, Anton Baba, Jacqueline Dossor

Joy in abstraction

Australian Haydn Ensemble were in town again. They are friends of mine and the music is intimate and personal. The first work was Haydn ... Michael Haydn. They are like this. They search the repertoire, develop themes and explore them, expose unusual combinations and relationships. All done on period instruments, so the sound is tender, dignified, often light, perhaps distant from our do-it-quick practicality, perhaps sombre and decorous. Very pretty. Michael H was a dream. The first movement, courtly; the second movement, with viola and violin conversing against sparse cello and pizzicato viola and another violin; then a minuet with passing melodies and rapid violins and viola for the final, fourth movement. Then another Beethoven concerto, this one no.3 in C minor, in a series with Neal Peres da Costa. Neal played a copy of an 1819/30 Conrad Graff woodframe piano. This is the style of keyboard that Beethoven would have heard and written for: tiny hammers, leather covered; straight strings, not crossed; lightly toned; flute-like top end, orchestral mid and brassy bass; 5 pedals. So said Neil. The tone was drastically different, of course, as are all these instruments. I heard the keyboard as relatively muffled and softly woody. So this was very different from a modern orchestral setting: just a small chamber orchestra and this light keyboard. Delightful. Then Mozart that everyone knows: Symphony no.40 in C minor, K.550. How lovely to feel the immediate affinity to a piece that's known. All this in an intimate setting with the familiar tones of a period chamber orchestra. Of course, I followed my mates, especially Jacqueline on her vibrant and wonderfully fluent bass, but then I'm a fan of her bass. So delightful, light but also true. This was another delicious and hugely enjoyed concert. Intimacy is something worth the world in my music. To know the people, to feel the closeness and engage in the chatter afterwards gives purpose and connection and that's such a matter in art, especially in an art as abstract as music. What pleasure to spend another night with AHE. A great joy in my calendar.

The Australian Haydn Ensemble comprised Skye McIntosh (violin, artistic director), Neal Peres da Costa (guiest fortepiano), Melissa Farrow (flute), Matthew Greco (violin), James Eccles (viola), Health Lloyd (viola), Anton Baba (cello) and Jacqueline Dossor (bass). AHE played Michael Haydn, Beethoven and Mozart at the ANU Larry Sitsky Room.