dowland – quasi-faust

Bridget Kibbey, harp
Alexi Kenney, violin
Southern Theatre
Columbus, OH
November 5, 2022

Saint-Saëns: Fantaisie in A major, Op. 124
Hu: Chamber Music Columbus Fanfare
CPE Bach: Sonata in G Minor, H 542.5
Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances
Larsen: Sun Strider
Biber: Mystery Sonata No. 1 (“Annunciation”)
Messiaen: Vocalise-étude
Dowland: Flow my Teares
Rodrigo: Madrigales amatorios
Falla: Siete canciones populares españolas
Currier: Night Time

Appealing as the combination may seem, music for harp and violin duo is an uncommon occurrence. Leave it Bridget Kibbey and Alexi Kenney to make a strong case for the medium in lovely program of duets at Chamber Music Columbus. Most of the selections performed were by necessity arrangements of other works, but the duo highlighted a few pieces written expressly for this combination, including a world premiere from Libby Larsen.

Alexi Kenney and Bridget Kibbey, photo credit Chamber Music Columbus

One such work with this instrumentation in mind was Saint-Saëns’ Fantaisie in A major. Graciously lyrical, the musical synergy between Kibbey and Kenney was apparent from the first bars. Impressive virtuosity served well the fantasy, improvisatory-like elements of the piece. Following was Ching-chu Hu’s Fanfare, a mainstay of all Chamber Music Columbus performances this season. After previously hearing it cast for brass quintet, it was quite fascinating to hear it undertaken by such vastly different forces.

A transcription of a sonata by CPE Bach opened with extravagant material for harp alone, and the violin later joined in imitation. A long-bowed violin melody over harp filigree made a touching Adagio, and the rapid finale was given with seamless cohesion. In place of the Clara Schumann Romances, Op. 22 listed on the program, the duo opted for the livelier Romanian Folk Dances of Bartók, a series of six miniatures (originally for piano, Sz. 56) boasting a folksy flair.

A co-commission from Chamber Music Columbus and the Schubert Club of Saint Paul, Minnesota (an ever older organization than CMC – celebrating 140 years this season!), Libby Larsen’s Sun Strider opened the second half. Matters gradually amassed, gathering energy, and the different characteristics of the strings of each instrument were exploited for contrast (a subject Larsen discussed during my interview with her). Novel sounds were drawn from the harp, taking full advantage of Kibbey’s peerless technique, and the work was at heart deeply lyrical – and generously so. The title evokes the sun’s journey across the sky; when sunset arrived, the music faded away, leaving only the vibrations of the strings.

A varied selection of shorter works followed, beginning with the first of Biber’s mystical Mystery Sonatas. Though separated by a few centuries. Messiaen’s Vocalise-étude occupied a similar sense of religious wonderment. For a Spanish sojourn, Rodrigo’s Madrigales amatorios were interwoven with selections from Falla’s Siete canciones populares españolas, works by turn feisty and jaunty or sultry and seductive.

Sebastian Currier’s 1998 work Night Time closed the recital – along with the Saint-Saëns and the new Hu and Larsen pieces, the only other work on the program conceived originally for harp and violin. Depicting the enigma of the night, its striking musical language seemed to be Currier’s response to Bartók’s “night music.” The second movement “Sleepless” was appropriately filled with jarringly irregular accents, though calm arrived in the concluding “Starlight” wherein matters drifted off into the depths of night.

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.

Brentano String Quartet, photo credit Peter Schaaf

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.

quasi-faust

Tag: dowland

Kibbey and Kenney delight in harp and violin duos at Chamber Music Columbus

Dawn Upshaw brings Purcell into the 21st-century with Brentano String Quartet