A recital of music from the early 17th century and from the present day, given on Sunday in the Great Hall in Kilmainham, had the unexpected result of making the music of the Romantic Age seem an aberration. Biber's Mystery Sonata 1 (Annunciation) flowed effortlessly into Barry Guy's recent improvisation for double bass, Fizzle 1. The effect was heightened by dispensing with applause after each item: Fizzle 1 was followed by two motets by Schutz, Osusser, o freundlicher and Bringt hier dem Herren, both sung with an exquisite sense of line by John Elwes (tenor), before a break for applause.
Fizzle 2 (for double bass) and Breathing Earth (for baroque violin and double bass) were preceded by motets Furwahr, er trug unsere Krankheit by J.H. Schein and O Seelenparadies by Bach; sung by Elwes, accompanied by Siobhan Armstrong (harp), Malcolm Proud (harpsichord) and Sarah Cunningham (viola da gamba), in various combinations. With the exception of Guy, these players are closely involved with early music, but the performance of Roger Marsh's Slow right arm (for violin and bass) and in particular of Guy's Lament for tenor and ensemble showed that their talents embrace divergent styles.
Malcolm Proud played Bach's Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue with his usual mastery, undaunted by the work's density; and a striking contrast was afforded by Monteverdi's extended Ave Maris Stella played by Siobhan Armstrong on the harp. This latter was an interlude of meditative calm before the same composer's hectically active setting of Laudate Dominum, sung with all the necessary virtuosity by Elwes.
Indeed, all the players contributed, with their own particular gifts, to a fascinating recital marked not only by virtuosity but also by a lively sense of interest and exploration. The two settings of texts from the Song of Songs, by Grandi and Merula, were very beautiful, and the encore, a song by Purcell which brought the whole ensemble together, was a perfect example of how six disparate personalities can become one for the purpose of making music.
