The Gathering Note

In many ways, music outside of the Classical to Romantic era, whether before it or after it, has a lot in common. Such similarities may not show themselves musically, but in other ways. Just as there are festivals for modern music, and locations where the modern will always be heard, there are the same festivals for the Baroque and before. As the academic research continues to perfect performance practice for the past, new scholars are interpreting the music of modern composers and how those should sound. And of course, the main similarity is that they are both niches within a whole sphere called classical music that is dominated by those great compositions written between 1775 and 1925, give or take. So the main question becomes, how do you get people to come to your concerts when Tchaikovsky is playing at the orchestra hall at the same time? In Baroque Band’s case, the answer is an intelligent and fascinating extra-musical framework with intimate and stunning surroundings.

The Baroque Band, comprised of 15 strings and harpsichord, is in its inaugural season, and they have done a wonderful job at presenting music of the Baroque period in varied and interesting ways. The first concert I attended featured the string concertos of the Brandenburg variety of Johann Sebastian Bach. This may sound rather uninspired, but they were paired with dramatic and vigorous works by Franz Ignaz Biber, who was the real showcase for the evening. The second concert was devoted to music of George Frederick Handel’s Italianate music, including beautiful cantatas that were wonderfully performed. That concert convinced me to go seek out those cantatas and add them to my music library. This newest concert’s conceit was entitled, “An Evening at London’s Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.” As you might imagine, the pleasure gardens is essentially a large and meticulously landscaped garden within which people can get sights of rare animals from other parts of the world, and of course hear wonderful music. Concerts and masquerade balls with live music were regularly given in Vauxhall, and that became the inspiration for the varied and spirited program the small audience heard in the beautiful Grainger Ballroom of Symphony Center. It could not have been a more appropriate locale for this concert. With large windows looking out on Michigan Avenue, the Art Institute’s lions keeping careful watch, muted life, cars and people, whirred by. You get the feeling that music in the past was performed in such elegantly appointed, intimate spaces which only heightens the credibility of the framework.

The players entered the room, all with masks on to begin the evening’s ball. One of the director Garry Clarke’s violin students, devoted much time and energy in the creation of the fanciful masks and were available for purchase. Needless to say, there were some in the audience who donned their masks as well. The program was a veritable who’s who of baroque composers, with the only caveat being that their music had to be known in Vauxhall England. English composers opened the evening, with charming and boisterous works by William Boyce, Thomas Arne, and the little-known Peter Prelleur. With the English composers out the way, the imports were now in full view. The first half ended with a rousing and dynamic performance of Francesco Geminiani’s Concerto Grosso No.12, modeled directly after Corelli’s violin sonata No.12, both using the variation form on “La follia di spagna.” It was quite a change from the pleasant works of the English composers. The piece was fiery and all involved were working quite hard, as the variations became faster and more complex. The audience provided a spirited round of applause for their ardors.

The second half opened with music by Arcangelo Corelli, whose instrumental works were known far and wide, popularizing two of the staples of Baroque form, the concerto grosso and the trio sonata. This was followed by one of the hundreds of Overture-Suites of Georg Philipp Telemann, who never left Germany during his lifetime, but whose music was nonetheless influenced by changing musical tastes in the world. He was admired and well-liked by George Frederick Handel, the greatest of the musical imports to England. The concert concluded with selections from his vast Water Music suites, played exclusively on strings. The pieces, which are second nature to me by this point, sounded fresh with its string-only scoring. They sounded lighter and more playful. The playing all around demonstrated the ensemble’s dedication and passion for this music. There would be no way this group would insert music from other time periods into their programs. Besides, they have a lot to choose from within their own locus of time.

As you can see, the way to popularize a period with rich music is to present it in ways that are enticing. The sheer variety of music performed, along with the lustrous environs, made this concert a perfect example of how niche ensembles can attract audiences. The last concert in my subscription is entitled, “The Beguiling Flute” and we can imagine what’s in store.