Baroque music at its very best

Concert
Members of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra
Sala Isouard

There is a certain intimacy at the Sala Isouard which lends itself well to concerts of this nature. Not so its L-shaped layout. Those sitting in the shorter end of the L could only see the backs of some of the performers, and the director not at all.

Only a small section within this segment could see but hardly hear Michael Laus when he gave some information about two of the works performed (the Mikelanġ Vella and Bieber works). The best thing to do was to close one’s eyes and just listen to the music which was, one must say, performed to a high order of excellence although I guess the music would have sounded even better from the other end of the hall.

The concert started with a work by Marc’Antoine Charpentier, Concert pour quatre parties de violes, H.545, in an arrangement for modern string instruments and which began with two rather sedate Preludes.

It continued with a grave Sarabande in which there was a crisp interaction between groups of instruments. Despite being respectively marked as English and French there was very little difference in feeling between the two gigues which eventually gave way to the concluding passecaille.

The next work, Bach’s Concerto in D for harpsichord and strings, BWV 1054 is one of his most popular works and also very familiar in the version for solo violin. Not that any reminding was needed, but here Maestro Laus showed what a really excellent keyboard performer he is, which coupled with his conducting prowess produced a thoroughly balanced performance.

The exuberance and virtuosity of the outer movements contrasted very well with the brief central beautiful adagio.

Last year, during a concert at Cospicua’s Oratory, the last of the six Sonatas by Mikelanġ Vella (1710-92), published in Paris in 1768, was performed by members of the MPO.

This evening the third Sonata, in A, edited by Australian musicologist Richard Divall was performed. It is a real beauty and one hopes that others in the set will find their way in more of these live performances, and one hopes, on CD as well.

The opening vivace was a stream of lovely undulating music giving way to the elegance of the next movements marked cantabile and minuet.

The remaining two movements continued along a greatly stylish projection, leading one to hope as well for more acquaintance with Mikelanġ Vella other works.

Heinrich Biber’s entertaining Battalia is baroque programme music at its best. What could have been its first performance in Malta was that at the Auberge de Castille by a foreign ensemble during last summer’s Malta Arts Festival.

The enjoyment of the performers was easily projected to the audience in this evening’s performance. Dissonance, martial rhythm, the sometimes inebriating effects of the music and the fine virtuoso violin playing of Nadya Debono reflect various moods of pre-battle last flings in drink, dance and the general mayhem in a military camp as well as on the battlefield itself.

Instruments were tapped to accentuate the effect and feet stamped for greater emphasis. Movements like the aria and the concluding lament rounded off the work which is a mix of wry humour and realism. Concluding, Mro Laus was again doubly in the limelight with his performance of Vivaldi’s Harpsichord Concerto in D, RV 121.

It was a vibrant and very accomplished performance, in which the very short but magical adagio set off very well the sparkle in the work’s outer allegro movements.