Minkowski Takes Leap from Baroque to Classical with Jupiter and Les Boréades

Originally published on Seen and Heard International

Gods and mythology long influenced music, especially during the Baroque and Classical periods. This era saw a cultural shift, drawing greater and greater inspiration from pre-Christian societies. The larger-than-life characters of mythology offered spectacle and theatricality, especially for Baroque opera. They provided dramatic material for the genre, fueling its growth. But beyond entertainment, these stories also offered allegory and moral lessons, appealing to audiences seeking philosophical themes. This realm of gods, myth, and magic formed a loose programmatic thread through the January program of Chicago’s Music of the Baroque. The evening in Harris Theater off the city’s Michigan Avenue featured three pieces from different music “gods” and Marc Minkowski’s debut with the orchestra.

Minkowski, a renowned specialist in early music, brought his broad and deep expertise to the stage. Known for his groundbreaking work with Les Musiciens du Louvre, an ensemble he founded, Minkowski has been instrumental in elevating the profile of French Baroque music. While his focus lies primarily in this period, his musical explorations extend to Classical and early Romantic repertoire as well. For his Chicago debut, Minkowski crafted a compelling program that showcased this range. Though the evening culminated with Mozart’s majestic ‘Jupiter’ Symphony, named posthumously for the Greco-Roman deity, it opened with the grandeur of Handel’s Concerto Grosso in F Major Op. 3, No. 4, followed by a dazzling performance of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s orchestral suite from the fantastical opera Les Boréades.

The pairing of Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony with Rameau’s orchestral suite from Les Boréades proved surprisingly insightful, revealing unexpected common ground. Minkowski, in his brief remarks, even positioned Rameau as a French counterpart to Bach, a genius of comparable stature. Les Boréades, a late work for composer and period alike, contains musical seeds—particularly in its innovative approach to harmony—that Mozart would later cultivate. In this sense, Rameau acts as a musical Archaeopteryx, bridging the Baroque and Classical eras. Minkowski elicited a colorful and spirited performance from the Music of the Baroque orchestra, full of delightful surprises, including a blustery rendition of the Gavottes pour les Heures et Sephirs (complete with wind machine), a languorous account of the Entrée de Polymnie, and a frisky, propulsive Contradanse en rondeau reminiscent of Bruckner’s future hunting tunes.

While Rameau was completing Les Boréades, the young Mozart was already touring as a prodigy and composing his first symphony. Decades later, Mozart composed the Jupiter Symphony, a work that, like Rameau’s late music, foreshadowed future musical developments, anticipating the symphonies of Schubert, Brahms, and Bruckner. The verve of Rameau’s suite seamlessly transitioned into Minkowski’s energetic rendition of the Jupiter. Conducting from memory, his expressive gestures, mimicking bowing and grand sweeps, drew a committed and musical response from the orchestra.

Handel’s concise Concerto Grosso Op. 3 No. 4, a work cobbled together from parts of his opera Amadigi di Gaula, opened Saturday’s concert. It was a perfectly agreeable work expertly rendered by Minkowski and the orchestra. Jennet Ingle’s delicate solo-playing in the second movement Andante was a particular delight. While a pleasant enough start, the performance underscored Handel’s relative conservatism when set against the more rebellious spirits of Rameau and Mozart, setting the stage for the stylistic explorations to come.

Ultimately, Minkowski’s debut with Music of the Baroque was a resounding success. His insightful programming, energetic conducting, and deep understanding of the stylistic nuances of each composer brought fresh perspective to Handel and Mozart’s works while also illuminating the less-traveled paths of Rameau’s genius. The orchestra responded with impressive versatility, making for an evening of compelling music.