Juilliard415
Quintet in D major for flute, oboe, violin, cello and obbligato harpsichord, Op. 22, No. 1 – Johann Christian Bach
Trio Sonata on Scots Tunes – James Oswald
Trio Sonata No. 8 in E-flat major – William Boyce
Symphony No. 104 in D major, “London” – Andante & Allegro – Franz Joseph Haydn (arranged by Johann Salomon, 1798)
First things first. The name of the group comes from the fact that this ensemble of musicians tunes to A = 415hz instead of A = 440, the norm for most classical music ensembles. This is in keeping with the practices in use during the Baroque era—and the pieces on Wednesday were played on period instruments. Whether they were actual or replicas, I’m not sure. We heard harpsichord, baroque violins, viola, cello, wooden flutes, wooden oboe, bassoon (though I’m not sure whether it differed from a modern bassoon), and theorbo (whose player also doubled on guitar). And the tuning had a strange, to me, hierarchy—the cello tuned to the harpsichord and then the other string players tuned to the cello. I’m not sure whether that is stylistic either. So much unknown!
Johann Christian Bach was the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach. The first movement of the quintet was gentle and pleasant, with touches of humor at times. Each instrument had a moment or two to shine, pair off in duets, and play tutti. The second movement began with the flute that was then joined by pizzicato playing from the violin and cello, and then by the oboe. The strings eventually went back to bowing. The third movement was much quicker, with a fuller sound and slightly more virtuosic playing for each instrument, though not always at the same time.
The Oswald (a composer new to me) was in five movements and was scored for two violins, flute, cello, theorbo, and harpsichord. It began with a solo flute introduction followed by all of the musicians in a lilting, evocative tune that had a nice nix of repetitions. The second featured the violin, then the cello joining in, and the second violin, and finally the flute. The third movement was lively and folk-like with an overlay of formality. The fourth was calmer and very pleasant. The final movement was a lively dance in which the theorbo was swapped out for a guitar and the flutist switched over to a piccolo of sorts which was reminiscent of a tin whistle.
The Boyce was scored for two violins, cello, and harpsichord only and had a slow but rich sounding first movement with a bit of a mournful quality. The second was bright and brisk, with some spare writing that somehow also managed to feel a little restrained. The third movement was slower but rhythmically interesting, and the fourth was jolly and fun.
As explained from the stage, in the era of Haydn there weren’t always enough musicians around to play a symphony, so the works were often arranged for smaller chamber groups, which was what we had here. As done by Johann Salomon, the two movements that were excerpted were scored for an octet of two violins, viola, cello, bass, flute, bassoon, and harpsichord. The Andante, in fact, featured the strings only and harpsichord in a gentle but dance-like tune that, when joined by the two winds, led into a very full section. The Allegro was just that, with a drone sound that featured a tune above it that then moved into a dance-like section that was quite brisk. Not frantic, but almost there. With the continued drone, it had a Scottish flair.
Considering the crowd of musicians for the afternoon (different violinists played in different pieces and there were at least two different flutists), no names were provided. Suffice it to say, though, that all of these Juilliard students put on a well-polished and very interesting program. There are two more live Midday Masterpieces to go, and I’ve already made my reservation for the next one.
ConcertMeister
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