Festival report : Florilegium, in Beverley Minster, at Beverley and East Riding Early Music Festival
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27 May
Festival report : Florilegium, in Beverley Minster, at Beverley and East Riding Early Music Festival -
Friday 27 May at 7.00 p.m.
A feast of works by Johnann Sebastian Bach, 1685 – 1750
Programme (first half) :
1. Brandenburg Concerto No. 6
2. Brandenburg Concerto No. 5
3. Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
(1) Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, in B Flat Major, BWV 1051 (est. 1721)
Aetherial in the large and reverberant space of the nave of Beverley Minster, the sound-world and acoustic of Florilegium took some adjusting to, with the vertiginous rapidity of the note-values in BWV 1051, which sounded so much like a clock that's ticking down to Eternity.
This was a full and rich tone, with colour from Bojan Čičić (leader, and on viola in this Concerto, the last of the so-called Brandenburg Concertos), and the vibrant persistence of sound. Even more other-worldly than the very familiar theme of the closing Gigue, when – as in the first movement, marked Allegro – the motifs of the violas chased each other, there was majesty and grandeur in this playing, offset by respectful vivacity and loquacity.
(2) Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, in D Major, BWV 1050 (est. 1719)
Another quick tempo, but now with the sacrament of the flute, and the blessing of the harpsichord's being more to the fore, and, at times, a strong and thund'rous undertow, on double-bass, from Rosie Moon (whose playing was exemplary throughout the evening).
This was another sound-scape from elsewhere, but in the shape of one from another planet altogether, where Time dilates, is suspended, and stands still. In the harpsichord cadenza¹, the earlier flute part, played by director Ashley Solomon, was evoked, which, in the slow movement (marked Affettuoso), had a disembodied² yet full tone, with Čičić's violin feeling gracious and expressive.
In the third movement, its structure provided by Moon's bass, the ensemble grew and blossomed, embellishing and building on the material. At the other end of the scale, we could hear and take pleasure in the lightness and facility of the harpsichord line.
(3) Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, in G Major, BWV 1048 (est. 1712)
This work, probably the most famous of the set, was a good piece on which to end the first half, the chordal-progressions of the lower instruments pushing us onwards, with an almost terrifying three cellos plus continuo.
As an Adagio through-passage after the opening Allegro, Čičić led Florilegium in a semi-ensemble flourish, and, in the succeeding Allegro, we were to hear a peal of bells, up and down the desks of violins, violas and cellos.
The bass and cellos were tempestuous, with the peals and ripples above them in this lively conclusion to the first part of the programme in Beverley Minster – could this work, inspired by Bach's devotion to the work of Antonio Vivaldi, perhaps have been a vision of a storm at sea³ ?
Good to hear the gala opener of @yorkearlymusic's Beverley & East Riding Early Music Festival at The Minster !
— THE AGENT APSLEY #ScrapUniversalCredit #JC4PM2019 (@THEAGENTAPSLEY) May 27, 2022
A chat to @BojanCicic in the interval, and then @FlorilegiumUK's strongest applause of the evening, concentrating on BWV 1041's melody and euphony, not its ostentation.
Programme (second half) :
4. Violin Concerto in A Minor
5. Orchestral Suite No. 2
(4) Violin Concerto in A Minor, BWV 1041 (est. c. 1730)
The forces for this Concerto, itself - or its opening (and closing) movements - likely to be even better known generally than the last piece in the first half, were six plus Florilegium's leader, Bojan Čičić, as soloist.
Listening afresh, in this stripped-down way, there seemed to be audible hints, in the lines of the solo instrument and double-bass, of the chordal sequences from that previous piece. The elegance and ease of Čičić's solo line continued to be very apparent in the Andante, his playing moderated and matched by something of a ground bass, and the long, accented notes of the upper strings.
In the final Allegro assai, one became aware of how elaborate the bass-line was, alongside these further evocations of bells and the subtle upper harmonization. This was complicated playing (e.g. the double-stopping), made to seem straightforward and sure – with the result that one could concentrate on what one heard, not the technique, which was very well received by those in the Minster, with the biggest show of appreciation of the night.
(5) Orchestral Suite No. 2, BWV 1067 (1738 - 1739)
This closing work was played as if it were a Concerto for Flute. However, even if probably written with flautist Pierre-Gabriel Buffardin in mind (as our programme-notes suggested), the material is not there for – or to justify – the flute's standing apart from the band, seeking to carry the weight of the Ouverture and opening Rondeau and Sarabande movements :
An approach to performance that was 'remedied' in the very familiar Bourrées, where the flute is part of the texture, and not aside from it. Perhaps there, however, it was not the right tempo, as flautists are apt to slow tempi to suit their instrument, which can cause the strings (on which it is less straightforward to lengthen notes) to sound as though they drag ?
Moreover, an overall approach to this Suite seemed to be lacking, and it might also have served better as an appetizer, as it did not feel an appropriate choice either to end the first half or the programme as a whole.
Nonetheless, after the necessary restrictions on capacity in May 2021⁴, this was, of course, a very welcome return to the possibility of widely attended concerts in larger venues, and one needs little excuse to indulge in the quality of events offered in this festival, or the July or Christmas festivals in York, the home of The National Centre for Early Music !
End-notes :
¹ Perhaps a little disappointingly rendered, and not sounding as much as it might as if it is free invention ?
² There was also something, in the extreme modernity of its contributions, that made us ready for the chromatic elements in the cadenza.
³ Maybe, thinking theologically, in connection with Matthew 14 : 24 ?
⁴ Then, not having booked early enough to secure tickets except for lunch-time events, and with an additional release for the evening ones only coming at the start of the actual week of the Beverley and East Riding Festival (too late for #UCFF's planning purposes), the sad decision made to forgo attempting to be there.
However, gratefully being in York Minster, during York Early Music Festival, in July to hear Stile Antico, the surprise was that the numbers allowed, even in such a huge space, had been restricted to scarcely more than one hundred (120 seats ?).
That bitter-sweet joy...
— THE AGENT APSLEY #ScrapUniversalCredit #JC4PM2019 (@THEAGENTAPSLEY) July 13, 2021
When last at @York_Minster, hearing @TheSixteen at @yorkearlymusic, one took so much for granted : one could be there again soon, and that that was the size of audience.
But such a welcome from Minster and Festival staff, and that joy in @stileantico !
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Unless stated otherwise, all films reviewed were screened at Festival Central (Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge)
