Midday Masterpieces (2/6/19)

Sonata No. 10 in F major (1682) – Rosenmuller
Trio Sonata in F major, TWV 42:F2 from Sonates corellisantes (1735) – Telemann
Sonata in D minor for violin, viola da gamba, and continuo, Op. 1, No. 6 – Buxtehude
“Paris” Quartet in G major, TWV 43:G4 from Nouveaux quatuors en six suites (1738) – Telemann

These pieces were played by different groups of students who are in the Juilliard Historical Performance program, a two-year program that explores early music up close. One of the harpsichordists is in his second year and one is in his first year, so there’s a good mix of experience and new learning. No names were provided by WQXR (at least not in print), so no names will be included here. Early music is an acquired taste—one I happen to enjoy a great deal. (To be precise, these pieces are technically from the Baroque period.)

The Rosenmuller, a composer new to me, was played by two violins, two violas, cello, and harpsichord. It began with a sort of call and response, with the violins taking the reins, answered by the violas, before all six players joined in the fun. And there was one section where they all joined in one by one. Overall there was a mix of legato (very smooth playing) and bouncy dance-like rhythms.

The Telemann that followed was a trio sonata for baroque flute, cello, violin, and harpsichord. I know, you’re all thinking, “But ’Meister, that’s a quartet.” Yes and no. The cello plays the bass line and the harpsichord supports the bass line as well as adding support for all of the other players. So essentially, the cello and harpsichord make up one voice, the continuo, of the trio. After a calm opening, there were phrases with lots of filigree and embellishments in very quick rhythms. In all of the pieces on the program, there was a real feeling of dance rhythms. There was a more relaxed movement followed by the final movement that began slow and stately but ended up quite perky.

The Buxtehude was played by members of Ensemble 415, a different group from Juilliard, and was scored for violin, theorbo, viola da gamba, and harpsichord. A theorbo is a supersized lute, while the viola da gamba is a cousin of the cello. Both have extra strings that allow for richer sounds. The sonata began with a calm opening with interesting harmonies that then moved into a jaunty section. Both the theorbo and the harpsichord played lots of deep bass notes, seemingly just because they could. The rest of the piece bounced back and forth between very calm and furioso—extremely fast and extremely energetic—before closing out with a simpler dance rhythm.

Telemann’s Paris quartets got that moniker only in the second half of the 20th century, presumably because of Telemann’s visit to Paris in 1737–1738. The one heard here opened with a gentle triple rhythm, and even when there were brisker sections it was very elegant. The second movement was also elegant, a bit more like a dance, and included touches of whimsy. The third was gentle and bucolic, while the fourth had a bright tempo to begin with, with hints of dark drama, and had a graceful dance in the middle. The final movement was brisk and fun, and we all got fooled by a false ending—a grand flourish that then had a quieter section to really finish.

It was a great hour of performances, and the audience greedily ate it up. It was also a lot of fun to see and hear different instruments on display. I’ve already made my reservation for the next Midday Masterpieces concert.

ConcertMeister