musica Dei donum
Concert reviews
Day of the English Baroque
"Fiery Virginalists"
Skip Sempé, virginals, harpsichord
concert: Feb 22, 2025, Utrecht, TivoliVredenburg (Hertz)
anon:
Galliard;
Le forze d'Hercole;
My Lady Carey's Dompe;
Saltarello del Re;
William BYRD (c1540-1623):
Fantasia (MB 62);
Galliard for the Victory (MB 95);
Miserere mei Deus;
Pavan Sir William Petre - Galliard (MB 4);
Prelude (MB 12);
Wolseys Wilde;
Orlando GIBBONS (1583-1625):
Fantasia (MB 14);
Fantazia of 4 parts;
Pavan (MB 17);
The Lord of Salisbury his Pavin;
William INGLOT (1554-1621):
The Leaves bee Greene (FVB 251);
Claudin DE SERMISY (c1490-1562):
Tant que vivray;
Thomas TOMKINS (1572-1656):
Pavan of 3 parts
"Polyphony for three"
Phantasm
concert: Feb 22, 2020, Utrecht, TivoliVredenburg (Hertz)
[in order of appearance]
[A Marian Challenge]
Christopher TYE (c1505-bef 1573):
Sit Fast
[Elizabethan Visions]
Elway BEVIN (c1554-1638):
Browning;
Thomas TOMKINS (1572-1656):
Fanmtasia XIV;
William BYRD (c1540-1623):
Sermone Blando;
Fantasia I;
Fantasia II;
Fantasia III
[Jacobean Voices]
Orlando GIBBONS (1583-1625):
Two Fantasies in Three Parts
[Commonwealth Vagaries]
Matthew LOCKE (1622-1677):
Flat Consort No. 1 in c minor 'for my cousin Kemble'
[Restoration Venerations]
Henry PURCELL (1659-1695):
Three Fantazias
[Arts of Fugue]
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750):
Prelude and fugue in A (BWV 864)
Laurence Dreyfus, Jonathan Manson, Markku Luolajan-Mikkola, viola da gamba
Henry PURCELL: The Fairy Queen
Vox Luminis/Lionel Meunier
concert: Feb 22, 2020, Utrecht, TivoliVredenburg
For a number of years now, the Utrecht Early Music Festival has been organising an annual day dedicated to one particular composer. The first time it was Bach, in later years other composers were featured, such as Vivaldi, Monteverdi, Handel and Hildegard of Bingen. In 2018, Henry Purcell was the 'composer of the year' and in a way that was also the case this year. The evening was devoted to his semi-opera The Fairy Queen. But he was just one of the composers featured on a day dedicated to the English Baroque.
It is actually somewhat disappointing that Alessandro Scarlatti was not given the centre stage. It is a commemorative year: he died in 1725. I don't know if it has been in consideration, but if it has, the organisation may have thought that there was a risk that not enough music lovers would be attracted to a day with his music. However, from that perspective the two afternoon concerts were disappointing. At both events, the hall (Hertz in TivoliVredenburg) was only partially filled, even though some of the best artists had been invited.
The afternoon opened with a recital by Skip Sempé, an internationally renowned keyboard player and regular guest at the festival. He played a programme with music by English virginalists, with the famous Fitzwilliam Virginal Book as one of its sources. This immediately indicates that the term 'English Baroque' should be taken with a large grain of salt. Even though some of the works on the programme may date from the 17th century, stylistically they belong to the Renaissance. The Baroque began considerably later in England than on the continent. There is a line to be drawn to the Baroque, though: the virginalists influenced Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, especially in the genre of variations, and he passed this influence on to the organists from Northern Germany who took lessons from him. Through them, the variation art of the virginalists influenced the development of German music, up to Johann Sebastian Bach.
The music of the virginalists is probably most closely identified with that genre, and especially the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book contains many variation works, often on tunes and songs that were well-known and popular. Sempé played some of these (not all from the FVB), such as The Leaves bee greene by the little-known William Inglot, and Wolseys Wilde by his famous contemporary William Byrd. The latter took a prominent place in the programme; pieces such as Pavan Sir William Petre and the Fantasia (MB 62) are impressive examples of his mastery of counterpoint. Miserere mei Deus is probably usually played on the organ, but here it sounded excellent on the virginals. That was one of the nice aspects of this recital: the virginals are not often heard in concert, and the fact that Sempé played a number of pieces on this instrument has to be greatly appreciated. Sempé fully lived up to his reputation as a specialist in this repertoire. His interpretations showed that he has a deep insight into the music and knows how to make it sound optimally. It was also nice that he put the virginalists in an international context by means of including some non-English works. This recital was a nice prelude to the day of the English Baroque.
It was up to the ensemble Phantasm to bridge the gap between the Renaissance and the Baroque. This consort of viols performed in a small line-up of three viole da gamba. The repertoire of consort music composed in England in the 16th and 17th centuries is huge. The scoring varies from two to six viols, sometimes with an additional keyboard or plucked instrument. This concert opened with a piece by Christopher Tye, one of the earliest composers of such music. A self-willed composer, as was evident from a piece with the mysterious title Sit fast, in which the three players have to play in different tempi. There is a close relationship between consort music and the music of the virginalists: some forms appear in both genres, such as fantasias, In nomines and song variations. An example of the latter was Browning by Elway Bevin. Byrd made his appearance again with three ingenious fantasias and a piece based on a Gregorian melody, Sermone Blando.
Matthew Locke marks the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque. He composed traditional consort music, but also works with basso continuo, such as a number of anthems. He was also a very idiosyncratic character, especially in his use of harmony. This manifested itself right from the start of the Flat Consort in C minor; this piece is for three viols with a basso continuo part ad libitum. He had a strong influence on Purcell, and that comes to the fore especially in the latter's adventurous use of harmony. The fantasias we heard bear witness to this. In them he bids farewell to the Renaissance, but with a grand gesture. The journey to the Baroque ended in a prelude and fugue from Bach's Wohltemperirtes Clavier I. That is a piece for harpsichord, but Phantasm showed that it can be perfectly translated to a consort of viols. This ensemble has made many recordings and performs frequently. It is easy to understand why it is so often invited for concerts and festivals. What we heard was absolutely top class; this was consort playing at the highest level. Technical mastery goes hand in hand with engaging performances and a sophisticated programming. The audience's enthusiasm was rewarded with a very beautiful fantasia by Thomas Lupo.
In 2018, Vox Luminis performed Purcell's semi-opera King Arthur during the Purcell Day. The ensemble has often performed that work. A few years ago, the plan was conceived to stage another semi-opera, The fairy Queen, based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. But how? It's not that simple. It was originally embedded in the play. That is virtually impossible to recreate: the whole performance would be far too long. Purcell's complete music already takes about two and a half hours. Here it took even longer, because part of the performance were texts - quite long - which were recited by the actor Simon Robson. They embodied a kind of modern reinterpretation of the old story. The whole thing was illustrated with a "shadow play balancing between reality and subconsciousness", as it is called on the ensemble's website.
In general, I am not a fan of 're-interpretations', certainly not when the content deviates quite a bit from the original. As far as I am concerned, the texts were irrelevant; I experienced them as annoying interruptions of the music. I could also have done without the shadow play; in my experience it did not add anything substantial, and often I just did not get what it wanted to tell. Apparently, Vox Luminis see this as a step forward, compared to the much more sober performances of King Arthur. I disagree. Purcell's music is of such quality that it does not need any additions, especially if the singers also perform as actors, as was the case in this performance. They did so very well, certainly in comparison with the performance of King Arthur that I saw years ago, when they acted as if they were on the stage for the first time. They have learned a lot since then. And the singing was, as usual in Vox Luminis' performances, excellent. This piece does not only include a number of great ensembles, but also brilliant solos. The programme did not mention who sang which role; that would not have made much sense anyway, because the hall was completely darkened, so you could not read it. However, I must mention Zsuzsi Tóth, who sang The Plaint, often performed separately, in a heartbreaking manner, with great emotional intensity. The small instrumental ensemble was top class; the many splendid dances were given excellent performances, with star roles for the trumpeters and the percussionist. The chaconne in the last movement was fantastic - another piece that is often performed as an independent work and a wonderful example of Purcell's genius. That was what - despite all the critical remarks - stayed with me most: Purcell is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most brilliant and expressive composers in history.
Johan van Veen (© 2025)