Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
Elizabeth Wallfisch (baroque violin)
Wednesday 7 November 2001
Concert Hall, Perth
Heinichen:
Concerto in F major, "Dresden Concerto" (Siebel 234)
Concerto in G major, "Dresden Concerto" (Siebel 214)
Bach:
Violin Concerto in D minor
(arr. Wallfisch from Harpsichord Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052)
Concerto for Three Violins, Strings and Continuo
(arr. Leonhardt from Concerto for Three Harpsichords in C major, BWV 1064)
Telemann: Suite in D major from Tafelmusik
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra is the baroque
equivalent of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, although there is no connection
between the two bands. The ABO is younger, and has been in existence for about
eleven years under the artistic leadership of harpsichordist Paul Dyer. Some of
the members of the orchestra — who are drawn from all over Australia
— appear very young indeed, looking as though they should still be in
school. They have adopted some of the characteristics of the ACO, such as having
the players with the smaller instruments stand while they play and keeping to a
minimum any tuning up on stage. The main difference is that the ABO players all
use period instruments and specialize in music of the Baroque period.
The Australian Brandenburgers have made a number of excellent
recordings, including recital
discs of Handel arias with Yvonne Kenny and Graham Pushee (on ABC Records) and Vivaldi motets
with Andreas Scholl (on Decca), as well a recent, extremely well received recording of
works by Vivaldi with flutist Genevieve Lacey.
The first visit by the Sydney-based ABO to Perth was part of a national tour with expatriate Australian violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch in a program featuring two great Bach works "reconstructed" from harpsichord concertos alongside offerings by Heinichen and Telemann. Wallfisch led the orchestra from the violin, with lashings of charisma, authority, generosity and (of course) virtuosity.
The first offering was one of Heinichen's "Dresden" concertos, in F, a spirited piece requiring two natural horns. In the first movement these notoriously recalcitrant instruments were rather wayward, but they steadied in the third movement; in between, the second movement saw some pretty warbling from the flutes and oboes.
Bach's Violin Concerto in D minor was reconstructed by Wallfisch herself from the Harpsichord Concerto (BWV 1052). It is always instructive to hear old favorites transformed, and in this case one was almost convinced that this was the way to hear it. Wallfisch threw herself into the work with gusto; the Adagio was melancholic without ever hinting at mournfulness; the last movement was such an explosion of fireworks that one expected to see sparks emanating from the violin strings.
Before the interval came another sprightly Heinichen piece: the Concerto in G, which highlights the talents of the flutes and oboes (particularly in the Andante e staccato movement) as well as the solo violinist. The theorbo also takes a prominent role here, one filled admirably by Tommie Andersson.
After the interval, Telemann's Overture (Suite) in D from Tafelmusik was somewhat on the ordinary side, lacking the sheer joie de vivre of the Heinichen pieces and in no way approaching the upper ramparts of Bach's masterworks. It was, however, another nice showcase for the theorbo, oboes and bassoons, and the horns were under better control.
The Concerto in C for Three Violins was reconstructed — by Gustav Leonhardt this time — from Bach's Concerto for Three Harpsichords (BWV 1064). Again, a powerful argument was made for this transformation to strings. Wallfisch was joined by concertmaster Lucinda Moon and associate concertmaster Marina Phillips for a rich and satisfying performance, with the third movement in particular showing a concerted unity of purpose, with mini-cadenzas by (in order) Phillips, Moon and Wallfisch leading to a stirring finale.
The great mystery of this concert is why the audience
felt impelled to applaud unabashedly between each and every movement. The
auditorium lights were left turned up after the interval, presumably so the
patrons could see in their programs when the works actually ended. If so, it
didn't work. Perth audiences are not normally this unsophisticated, so perhaps
it was due to a new group of concert-goers unfamiliar with protocol. If so, then
it should be seen as a good sign, but let's hope they catch on to the idea that
clapping between movements does rather destroy the mood, and maybe the
concentration of the players.
