GREAT festival review from the Herald Times Peter Jacobi. Congrats to all!!! Bloomington Early Music Festival artists show quality, joy in performances It feels so good to sit at the keyboard writing about BLEMF, the Bloomington Early Music Festival, with a focus on concerts rather than demise. Not that the past weekend’s schedule of BLEMF events assures us of a future for the festival, but it does indicate that some of its most ardent local supporters haven’t given up the fight to bring it back. I missed a few of the happenings: the Lotus Dickey remembrance at the Mathers Museum, the instrument petting zoo and “Early Music Institute Goes Pop” concerts at the farmers’ market, and the “Tasty Musical Morsels” afternoon at Rachael’s Cafe. But the two events I did attend — a concert of medieval music in the courthouse atrium on Friday evening and a Saturday evening of Italian music in First Presbyterian Church — were delights, not only for the high quality of performance but for the joy with which the musicians performed. These were joyful occasions, indeed, the presenters joyful in giving and the listeners in accepting. One sensed a celebratory atmosphere, as if not only were these concerts being favorably received but that the concept of BLEMF was being welcomed back. A number of the performers participated in both events, meaning they had an awful lot to prepare. But prepare diligently and famously they all did; the singers even memorized much of their material, certainly not an easy task. Friday’s “A Medieval Journey … across centuries, cultures, and walks of life” featured music from the 11th through 14th centuries, truly “early” music, some of it expressions of faith, often in the Virgin Mary, and some of secular matters such as love, hunting, the death of Richard the Lionhearted, and an angry nightingale. The composers included the legendary abbess Hildegard von Bingen, the French Guillaume de Machaut, the Italian Lorenzo da Firenze, the Galician minstrel Martin Codax, the French troubadour Gaucelm Faidit, and a handful labeled Anonymous (English, Spanish, French and Italian). Sung beneath the towering atrium of the Monroe County Courthouse, the music absolutely stunned for its resonance and emotional power. The singers deserve glowing praise. Democratically listed in the program by alphabet, they were baritone Kevin de Benedictis and sopranos Christina Lynch, Lindsey McLennan, Thea Smith and Kathryn Summersett. Summersett doubled on vielle and hurdy-gurdy; Brady Lanier kept his full attention on the vielle. Saturday evening in First Presbyterian, the titled theme was “Passioni Dolci” (“Sweet Passions”). The soprano cast was the same. Baritone de Benedictis was back, too. A vocal addition was countertenor Zach Arneson. Brady Lanier sat among the instrumentalists, but with a viola da gamba this time. His fellows in the ensemble were guitarist Taylor DiClemente, percussionist Brian McNulty, organist Elizabeth Clark, two kept-busy and warm-toned violinists, Juan Carlos Zamudio and Reynaldo Patino, and a terrific harpsichordist, Alice Baldwin. Their musical fare originated mostly in the first half of the 17th century. One heard harpsichord pieces by two composers named Rossi, Michelangelo and Luigi, and by Girolamo Frescobaldi., a lovely “La Rossa” for harpsichordist Baldwin and the two violinists. There was an abundance of vocal fare, highlights including Francesco Cavalli’s ode, “Musica Dolce” (“Sweet Music”); Sigismondo d’India’s “Scherzan Qui leggiadri amori” (“Here graceful loves joke”); Domenico Mazzocchi’s “Con Ghirlanda Di Rose” (“With a Garland of Roses”); Claudio Monteverdi’s “Sanctorum Meritas” (“The signal joys the saints have earned”); a potent “Iste Confessor” (“This confessor, dedicated to the Lord”); and excerpts from Luigi Rossi’s opera, “L’Orfeo.” Not much Top 40 Early Music on these two programs; the fare was expertly chosen for beauty, freshness and cohesion. The performance thereof deserved and received cheers. Additional comment from Janis Starcs Welcome back. Kudos to all who made the event possible. The more informal concert at Rachaels Cafe was delightful and low-key; perfect for a nice Sunday afternoon. It was a return to the festivals roots as a venue for talented young musicians to get together and perform during a fallow period of the year, and for audiences starved for live music.
Posted on: Thu, 29 May 2014 12:40:22 +0000
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