LA MODESTINE UNCOVERS SOME LITTLE 17TH CENTURY GEMS FROM ITALY AND AUSTRIA
La Modestine (Marc Destrubé and Kathryn Wiebe, violins: Jeremy Berkman, sackbut; Natalie Mackie, viola da gamba; Katrina Russell, dulcian; Michael Jarvis, organ), Music of Bertali, Castello, Frescobaldi, Schmelzer and Biber, Chan Centre, February 24, 2021.
Photo Credit: Mike Southworth
One must give great praise to Early Music Vancouver for constructing such a high-quality and extended digital concert series this year. Moreover, it has all been achieved with distinguished ‘authentic’ instrumentalists who live close by, many of whom have connections with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra. A hallmark of this series has been its variety – and this late February concert was no exception. Performed by La Modestine, the program featured a refreshing exploration of works by lesser-known composers of 17th-century Italy and Austria, with Girolamo Frescobaldi being perhaps the most recognizable name. The ensemble, formed in 2016 by violinist Marc Destrubé and friends, was augmented here by the sackbut of Jeremy Berkman and the dulcian of Katrina Russell, two instruments that often brought a special character and energy to the proceedings. Two works by Italian composers offered particular intrigue: Antonio Bertali’s internally-varied Sonata à 3 in D minor and Dario Castello’s expressive Sonata Quarta. As always with the tradition of EMV, the use of period instruments provided a historically faithful tonal palette, colouring the texture with a softer-edged timbral hue as compared to their modern instrument counterparts.
Castello’s Sonata Quarta (1621) opened the evening, and the ensemble approached it with an enrichening combination of warmth and restraint. The musical dialogue between the violin and sackbut sustained an ebb-and-flow that allowed room for each instrument to speak, highlighting impressively the clarity of melodic line valued in the Stile Moderno. Violinist Marc Destrubé brought an elegantly-nuanced lyricism to his solo passages, even if a degree more projection might have been desirable at times. The composer’s Sonata Nona for two violins, bassoon, and basso continuo followed, and was brought to life by both the jovial, animated dexterity of Katrina Russell’s dulcian playing and strong cohesion in the ensemble. Michael Jarvis’ introductory organ passage, with violin, created a charming timbral blend that set an appropriately buoyant tone for the Sonata. Both of Castello’s pieces were highlighted by passages of emotive wind writing, set within inventively juxtaposed tempi and textures.
Frescobaldi’s Canzon Prima à due bassi, for trombone, bassoon, and basso continuo (1634) was notable for its absence of a treble voice. Jeremy Berkman’s sackbut performance was laudable, displaying both agility and virtuosity: strong consistency in articulation was evident throughout several series of challenging rapid note successions. In Canzon Sesta à canto e basso, Marc Destrubé’s violin returned to the stage, and the artist showed keen sensitivity to phrase and tone. Less harmonically and contrapuntally adventurous than Frescobaldi’s keyboard works, the two chamber pieces nonetheless displayed a lucidity and an accessible, richocheting polyphony.
Forward-driving momentum, with rubato employed tastefully in service of dramatic expressivity, informed Antonio Bertali’s Sonata à 3 in D minor. The work opened the second half of the concert, and featured juxtapositions of light, imitative counterpoint with moments of movingly introspective homophony and monody. Though not without minor rhythmic lapses, the relay of motifs, such as between the violins of Wiebe and Destrubé, sustained the continuous thread of melodic intensity. The musical variety embedded in the organization of the work reflects the stylus fantasticus, an expressive, unrestrained style of composition that Bertali imported to the Austrian court.
Frequent changes in texture and atmosphere distinguished Johann Heinrich Schmelzer’s Sonata IX in A minor (1659), Bertali’s younger colleague who followed in the same tradition. The work brought an exciting synergy to the combination of violin, viola da gamba, and organ. Natalie Mackie’s monodic passages, in particular, exhibited compelling musical energy and variety in articulation. The evening was concluded nicely with Heinrich Ignaz Frans van Biber’s exquisite Sonata à 3 in D minor for two violins, trombone, and basso continuo. The ensemble was excellent throughout, distinguished by precise intonation, tonal integration, and unanimity. A final, affectionate D major chord closed the concert, leaving one in faint yearning of Biber’s elusively implied G minor resolution.
Refreshing and successful, the concert brought stature to engaging works we normally would not hear. On a sadder note, it also paid homage to this concert’s organist, Michael Jarvis, and his vast contributions to authentic keyboard performance. He unfortunately died on Christmas Day 2020. RIP.
© Maggie Lu 2021
Having a passion for classical music since a young age, MAGGIE LU is a composer and pianist currently studying at UBC. She is completing her BA and MA degrees semi-concurrently, following early entrance to university at age 14. Her works have been described in the most glowing terms, and have been featured at the Sonic Boom Festival, the West Coast Composers Symposium, and the Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities. In addition to music, she enjoys reading, painting, and writing. For her website, click here.