The second AEC Early Music Platform Meeting is taking place in The Hague during the next two days, in cooperation with the Koninklijk Conservatorium. There will be conferences, presentations of research activities by students and concerts (detailed programme here).
The first of the concerts will be offered tomorrow evening by Cappella Monteverdiana, conducted by Christina Pluhar. Considering that all the members of the group are from the Koninklijk Conservatorium, I don’t have to say twice how happy it made me to find Christina’s invitation to join. Two days of intensive rehearsals, full of work and pleasure.
22 January 2010 - 18.30
Marini, Monteverdi, Merula, Caresana
Cappella Monteverdiana Den Haag, Scroll Ensemble - dir. Christina Pluhar
Ensemble Eloqui made its first public appearance last Friday, in Vredenburg Leeuwenbergh, in the heart of Utrecht. The context? The first concert of the project on Historically Informed Performance (HIP), led by the violinist Antoinette Lohmann, that the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht organized this first month of 2010 for the “modern” (classical) string students of the school. With the motto “Do you have the guts?”, Antoinette has introduced them into baroque language, rethoric and technique with music by Scheidt, Biber, Lully, Farina and Vivaldi.
Also Leclair sounded, at the beginning of the concert, played by the four members of Ensemble Eloqui. We felt a little like those young “support bands” we find in rock concerts. Just a little warming up of our programme, “Les Goûts-Réunis”, that we will play today and next Tuesday. A warming up for 200 listeners. Not bad!
What would you feel if you go into the library to pick up those books you need for your paper in methodology, and discover that they are moving away? Emptiness? It would match literally with the situation of the building…, but I couldn’t do anything else than go back to the locker to catch the camera and make some pictures: who knows when will be the next time I see a dessert library again…
I guess that my “never-mind” answer was compensated by karma when I went to pick up the “artist” badge of Accademia dell’Arcadia to attend the concerts of the Oude Muziek Festival, and found the rehearsal of Al Ayre Español, jejeje…
I am back in Utrecht again, and to the winter it seems, considering the 40ºC average during past weekend in Toledo, where Concerto delle Dame performed our selection of music by female composers, Del convento a la corte. After the last experience, Toledo was extremely nice: we had to deal with the wind in some moments, ok, but it was still soft, we had full attendance in both concerts, the harpsichord (a Grimaldi 1697 by Rafael Marijuán) had a nice round sound and lots of projection (what in outdoors concerts is a blessing), the people in the Museo de Santa Cruz were so kind… if we add that David could scape for a day from Madrid and that I met some friends I did not see for long time, then the weekend was perfect.
In two weeks, the next stop of the Antiqva 2009 tour will be Palma de Mallorca, although Concerto delle Dame won’t be there because of lack of availability of some of us. I, concretely, will enjoy the city of Pamplona where the first edition of an academy and fringe festival on early music will take place.
Past weekend Concerto delle Dame had two concerts in Cordoba, included in the cicle Antiqva 2009. Unfortunately, all of us found an insuperable obstable: it was raining… and they were outdoor concerts!
On Friday, when we arrived to the Plaza de los Abades for our sound check we found the members of Ensemble Quadrivium trying (pointlessly) to keep their stands in contact with the floor (well, the idea of placing the stage in the crossroad of two streets did not help). Some minutes later, we covered the harpsichord and had permission to go home.
On Saturday, after the second travel from Seville, we arrived to the place just for saving the harpsichord again inside the van, and taking refuge from the rain. After waiting in a cafe for large part of the afternoon, we received the “green light”… to play!
It did not rain anymore, that’s true, but we had to face a wet and slippery stage, a harpsichord tuned fast (while the tuner was in the other square, I tried to save some time with my instrument) that could not keep in tune till the end due to the humidity, and the experience of simply playing, no check, at all… Result?: we played “blindly” (it took around 20 minutes to change the lights so I could have some on my score) and “deafly” (at least I could only figure out what was going on on the stage following the bow of the gambist!, and they did not have a greater time)…
I am sure that these informal concerts help to “promote the cultural and turistic image of a city” introducing also new young groups, and attracting a new audience that maybe we would not find in the concert hall… We all know what is about, and try to adapt to the conditions. But maybe having a “B plan” would not be that difficult, and would help so much, both to the performers and audience.
Overall, a pity. General feeling of leaving empty-handed…
Dates are still to be confirmed by the organization. But tomorrow Accademia dell’Arcadia will meet in the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag to play in the 3rd year Recital of one of its members, Janet Forbes. You are warmly invited to come and listen. (here, in Studio I)
Next weekend, Concerto delle Dame will perform in Barcelona fringe, playing Del convento a la corte, a programme consisting of a selection of pieces for two sopranos and continuo from female composers of the 17th century.
And I really enjoyed it: it was a short but at the same time varied programme, with students and teachers from the conservatory (exquisite Francesco Corti’s continuo!) and dancers from the Nationale Balletacademie and not so “national” ones like Ricky Barros, which expressiveness during the folias deserved itself being there…
French and Italian music…, and a little “present” from the Spanish Escuela Bolera:
Last Wednesday, Siebe’s students played in our second harpsichord Voorspeelmiddag of this year. The topic this time: Bach’s first book of Das Wohltemperierte Clavier.
I must admit the concert surprised me: I had the feeling of having an extra week to prepare it! But this last month has been quite strange: because of the problem in my forearm I have not been able to play (and have lost three weeks of work and lessons, grrrr)
Nevertheless, I was happy with the experience on Wednesday:
