Gotham Early Music Scene (1/15/26)

Ben Katz & Friends
Hymn of Apollo 

Ben Katz ~ harpsichord    Dani Zanuttini ~ theorbo   Amanda Beranek ~ harp   
Jackie Hager & Nathan Francisco ~ violoncello

Sarabande de la Reyne – Jacques Champion de Chambonnières (ca. 1601‒1672)
Entrée d’Apollon – Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632‒1687)  

Sonata X for Violoncello and Continuo in C Major – Giuseppe Maria Jacchini (1667‒1727)  

Sonata di basso solo – Gregorio Strozzi (1615‒1687)  

Suite of partimenti (improvisations on figured bass) – Bernardo Pasquini (1637‒1707)  

Capriccio detto hermafrodito – Bellerofonte Castaldi (1580‒1649)
Canzona prima from Quarto libro d’intavolatura per il chitarone – Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (ca. 1580‒1651)  

Sonata VIII for Violoncello and Continuo in A minor – Giuseppe Maria Jacchini  

Contrapunctus I from The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080 – J.S. Bach (1685‒1750)
Sonata Nona, Op. 8, No. 9 – Biagio Marini (1594‒1663) 

Interestingly, and oddly, there was only bio material for Ben Katz in the program notes, and not the other four friends. I liked the layout of the performance—two works to begin, three separate works, a pairing of the Capriccio and the Canzona, the separate Sonata VIII, and the paired Contrapunctus and Sonata Nona. This gave us, the audience, an idea of when applause was appropriate (although applause is always appropriate).

Also interestingly, most of these composers were new to me. A little more info before I get to the music. In most of these early-music concerts, harp equals a hand-held small harp. Nope, this one was full sized. And do we all remember the theorbo—a lute on steroids?

The first work opened with harpsichord and harp and was gentle in both tempo and texture. It became fuller when the theorbo entered but retained its gentle quality. The second work for the trio was fuller still and more dramatic. It was also relatively gentle, adding more energetic rhythms. These two were taken as one group in the printed program, and the audience waited until the end of the second piece before applauding. This is nice programming as far as I’m concerned. 

After mild tuning, because the violoncellos were being added, the piece opened with a cello solo (slow), then the harp joined in, then there was a brisk section, with a contrasting slower section that included all five performers. There was a good mix of tempo changes in the sections—not exactly separate movements—that followed. 

The fourth work was a harpsichord/theorbo duet that was fairly gentle and subdued. Contemplative came to mind, though there was a hint of jaunty at the end.  

The fifth was a harpsichord solo that was pleasant, if a bit lengthy. 

The sixth had harpsichord and theorbo at the beginning, with one cello added to the mix. To my ear, it was rather tame for a capriccio. The seventh piece (part of one grouping) had all three players, though the theorbo was featured and then the cello was featured. Once again, this piece was gentle but it held my interest. 

The eighth had all five players and was slow to begin, before a much faster section when the second of the cellos was added. This was followed with a very full, brisk section that led to a bang-up finish. 

The ninth was a bit of a conundrum. It was simple (as in not complicated), but also not necessarily easy. The next section was expanded though not necessarily expansive. A conundrum, indeed. The last work on the program included all five players, was brisk, followed by a nice mix of tempos and contrasting sections and phrases that still did not rise to the level of actual movements.

All said, this was a really nice program that promoted all five players, though each got a moment to shine. And it was also nice to see a full-sized harp on the stage. 

ConcertMeister