Brooklyn Baroque
La Dédicataire: Music Written for Women
Melanie Williams ~ flute Serafim Smigelskiy ~ violoncello Rebecca Pechefsky ~ harpsichord
Sonata in D Major for Harpsichord & Flute, Op. 16, no. 5 – Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782)
Allegro con Spirito; Rondo: Allegretto
Sonata in G Major for Flute & Continuo, Op. 9, no. 7 – Jean-Marie Leclair (1697–1764)
Andante; Allegro ma non troppo; Aria: Affettuoso; Allegro moderato
Sonata in C minor, K.11 – Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757)
Sonata in F minor, K.184
Trio in D Major for Flute, Cello, and Continuo – Christoph Schraffrath (1700–1763)
Allegro; Adagio; Allegro
The first movement of the first work was bright and brisk. The harpsichord part had rapid fingering, the flute not so much. While most of the flute part was in its upper register, there were also some lovely low tones. The second movement had a solo harpsichord opening and then the flute joined in. It was very similar to the first movement, though the harpsichord had more solo time here.
The first movement of the second sonata was gentle and very pleasant for all three players. The second was brisker and fuller, especially as far as volume was concerned, and had a playful use of pauses. The third was calmer but not somber in the least. It included a perkier middle section which then returned to calm, while the fourth was fuller again, bright and jaunty—not quite off to the races, but it seemed as though it wanted to be.
The third and fourth pieces were single-movement harpsicord solo sonatas. The first was mostly bright, though there were a few contrasting sections. The second was similar and, oddly, somehow F minor sounded a little brighter than C minor. These were only two of Scarlatti’s 555(!) keyboard sonatas.
The trio that closed out the program was by the only composer who was new to me. He fit right in with the others. After retuning (the cello) the first movement had a cello/harpsichord opening, the flute joined the fun, each of them got a moment to shine, and the movement was fleet without being too fleet. The second movement also had a cello/harpsichord opening and then the flute joined in again. While the tempo was slower, it was not maudlin or mournful at all. The brisker third movement was—wait for it—cello/harpsichord followed by the flute. It was fuller, almost as if the composer was out to prove something in order to finish the work: “Hey, Ma, look what I can do!”
A note about the harpsichord—it’s on loan from Ms. Pechefsky and has been used in several other GEMS concerts that I’ve attended. It was nice to put a face to the name.
