2004
4th June – Concert at All
Saints’ Church, Tilford
With Tilford Parish Church almost full, a highly appreciative
audience enjoyed a concert on 4th June in which they were invited to compare
the works of two composers. Bach and Vivaldi were contemporaries who composed
in Germany and Italy respectively. Bach respected Vivaldi greatly and studied
his work closely by the laborious method of copying out scores.
Interpreting the two composers was a group of renowned
musicians, led by the acclaimed violinist, Adrian Butterfield.
In
the opening piece, the Bach Concerto for Oboe d’Amore (BWV 1055) had the oboist
Gail Hennessy performing the solo part on this interesting instrument, which
has a mellower tone than the modern oboe. To hear the instrument anywhere is
relatively rare – to have a talented performer play this piece was a great
delight.
Joanne Lunn, Royal College of Music
Gold Medallist and now a much sought-after performer and recording artist, who
has established a great reputation singing baroque music, sang Vivaldi’s motet
“Nulla in mundo pax”. The audience enjoyed hearing the power and control of the
singer in this piece, not realising that this was but a foretaste of something
very special in the second part of the concert.
The first piece of the second part was introduced by Adrian
Butterfield as one that Vivaldi had composed for performance by the girls of
the orphanage at which he had been the music tutor. The Violin Concerto in E
flat major, subtitled “La Tempeste di Mare” (Sea Storm), would have been
performed behind a screen to avoid exposing the young girls to the gaze of
onlookers, but the TBS penchant for authentic performances in the original
manner was suspended on this particular aspect and a clear line of sight was
maintained between players and audience.
The highly descriptive piece, with much double stopping and many
difficult passages for all the stringed instruments, suggests that the Italian
orphan girls were both highly gifted musicians and extremely very well taught
by Vivaldi. To be an orphan in Venice at this period seems to have offered an
opportunity similar to that of a scholar in the Royal Academy of Music today.
The final piece of the concert was a tour de force by Joanne
Lunn well supported by the orchestra. The Bach Cantata “Mein Herze schwimmt im
Blut” (BWV 199) follows the theme of guilt for man’s sin but leading into the joy of salvation.
Joanne Lunn is a singer with total control and the ability to deliver
expressive singing of such pieces with total conviction. Her expressive and
perfectly managed delivery swept her audience along.
But, at the conclusion of this musical extravaganza, did the
audience draw any conclusions concerning the relative merits of the two
composers?
There was no poll taken, but it appears likely that the members
of the Tilford Bach Society would prefer their eponymous hero, though there is
plenty of room for both composers…and many more! Such exercises are interesting
as the theme for such concerts and this added an element of intellectual challenge
to a musical event that was in all respects remarkable for the quality of the
music and the standard of performance. This is a typical feature of TBS events
that makes them very special.
Ian Sargeant