Naumburg Orchestral Concerts (7/20/21)

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
Richard Egarr, Conductor • Rowan Pierce, Soprano

Christopher Gibbons (1615/20–1676) – Fantasy in A minor
John Blow (1649–1708) – 3 Songs – [Ya know what? I’m not going to name every one; you’ll see why later.]
Matthew Locke (1621/23–1677) – Curtain Tune from The Tempest
Henry Purcell – (1659–1695) – 3 Songs
Purcell – Chaconne from King Arthur
Purcell – 13 selections from Fairy Queen (do you see now why I didn’t name every movement of every work?)
N.B. * = soprano soloist

A slight explanation is needed here. In this case, a baroque orchestra is played by string players using baroque-era instruments—a double bass from 1648 to violins from c. 1800. Could I hear a difference? I could not. Was more tuning necessary? It was. Was a theorbo involved? It was. (For those of you in the know, I have explained theorbos in the past. For the rest of you, Google/Yahoo! is your friend.)

On to the music. The opening work was calm, with increasing volume, though rather staid. The second work added the soprano* soloist. The first movement was jaunty, with florid writing (many notes and runs on a single syllable). After re-tuning the theorbo (^^ see more tuning, above), the second movement was slower and calmer, yet still with energy. The third movement was a sweet waltz, with an emphasis on sweet, and was my favorite of the three.

The third work had a quiet opening, then a quick build-up, then a back-and-forth section, in a changeable way—a real Tempest feel. (This compositional style is representative of the era.)

The first* Henry Purcell song was similar to the John Blow pieces (soloist* and continuo (harpsichord and theorbo/guitar)), with a narrative, story-telling feel that was dramatic at times. The second (also sung) was calmer but still very pretty; the third switched back and forth between calm and more quick sections. The Purcell Chaconne featured the entire ensemble of strings in a pleasant dance form, without being overdone.

After intermission, my notes are a hot mess. Thirteen movements? Fading light? Movements that seemed to change order? Here’s my best take.
Lively opening that was not quite an overture, but close / Pleasant dance / * Waltz song with two verses / Jaunty dance (Fairies) / Rousing dance (Haymakers) / Slightly more relaxed dance (Monkeys, though they then got frisky and cute) / * The Plaint (O Let Me Weep—properly plaintive) / Quite a jaunty dance (Hornpipe) / A gentle dance / * A song not quite as plaintive as The Plaint, but cut from the same cloth / the last three selections sort of blurred together, without quite a big finish, but it was close.

There was a well-deserved * folk song encore.

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