Dawn Upshaw, soprano
Brentano String Quartet
Southern Theatre
Columbus, OH
April 30, 2022

Purcell: “Oh let me weep” from The Fairy Queen, Z.629 (arr. Mark Steinberg)
Purcell: Fantasia a 4 in B-flat major, Z.736

Matthew Locke: Suite No. 2 for Four Viols in D minor/major
Dowland: “Come again, sweet love doth now invite” (arr. Stephen Prutsman)
Dowland: “Can she excuse my wrongs” (arr. Stephen Prutsman)
Dowland: “Weep you no more, sad fountains” (arr. Stephen Prutsman

Thomas Tomkins: Alman in F
Byrd: Though Amaryllis dance in green
Robert Johnson: The Witty Wanton

Purcell: Fantasia a 4 in C minor, Z.738
Purcell: “When I am laid in earth” (Dido’s Lament) from Dido and Aeneas, Z.626

Melinda Wagner: Dido Reimagined

Dawn Upshaw joined forces with the Brentano String Quartet at Chamber Music Columbus for a fascinating program, the first half of which surveyed music from the English Renaissance and early Baroque, and a latter half which presented a contemporary response to the earlier work. An extensive series of songs and instrumental works traversing Purcell, Downland, Byrd, and others were presented in arrangements for modern string quartet, recalling some of the repertoire performed by the Aizuri Quartet earlier this season.

Purcell’s “Oh let me weep” opened, the plaintive tears brought to life by Upshaw’s instantly recognizable voice. Movements of a suite by Matthew Locke – including a particularly touching Ayre – were interlaid with songs by John Downland. The Locke was a fascinating look at the genesis of the string quartet in this early work for viol consort, a direct ancestor to the contemporary ensemble. Dowland’s “Can she excuse my wrongs” benefitted from the character and personality with which Upshaw imbued it. Byrd’s “Though Amaryllis dance in green” delighted in its dancing energy, and the first half concluded as it began with a pair of works by Purcell, closing with the indelible aria “When I am laid in earth” – heart-wrenchingly beautiful, and grounded by the bass line of cellist Nina Lee.

Melinda Wagner’s Dido Reimagined, first premiered earlier this year, was written as a direct response to the Purcell aria. It’s an ambitious 40-minute piece, with a libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann that recasts the Dido tale with a decidedly feminist bent – an endeavor that broadly speaking reminded me of John Adams’ Scheherazade.2 which offers a modern, feminist take on the Arabian Nights. The textures in the string quartet seemed to suggest the Purcell source material, but otherwise this was a work very much in Wagner’s own language. The narrative would have perhaps been easier to follow had the text been provided in the program books – which would have also highlighted some subtle bits of humor, for instance, rhyming “Port Authority” with “purgatorio.” The work was performed with conviction by these artists for whom it was written, closing with a pensive, meditative statement. A piece I would be keen to give a second listen.