Minkowski and Music of the Baroque take a leap from Baroque to Classical with ‘Jupiter’ and Les Boréades

Handel – Concerto grosso in F major Op.3 No.4
Rameau – Suite from Les Boréades
Mozart – Symphony No.41 in C major, ‘Jupiter’

Gods and mythology have long influenced music, especially during the Baroque and Classical periods which saw a cultural shift that drew greater and greater inspiration from pre-Christian societies. The larger-than-life characters of mythology offered spectacle and theatricality, especially for Baroque opera, providing dramatic material and fueling the genre’s growth. But beyond entertainment, these stories offered allegory and moral lessons that appealed to audiences seeking philosophical themes. This realm of gods, myth and magic formed a loose programmatic thread through the January program of Chicago’s Music of the Baroque which featured three pieces from different music ‘gods’ and Marc Minkowski’s debut with the orchestra.

Minkowski, a renowned specialist in early music, brought his broad expertise to the stage. Known for his groundbreaking work with Les Musiciens du Louvre, an ensemble he founded, Minkowski has been instrumental in elevating the profile of French Baroque music. While his focus lies primarily in this period, his musical explorations extend to Classical and early Romantic repertoire as well. For his Chicago debut, Minkowski crafted a compelling program that showcased this range. Though the evening culminated with Mozart’s majestic ‘Jupiter’ Symphony, named posthumously for the Greco-Roman deity, it opened with the grandeur of Handel’s Concerto grosso in F major, followed by a dazzling performance of Rameau’s orchestral suite from the fantastical opera Les Boréades.

The pairing of Mozart’s symphony with Rameau’s orchestral suite proved surprisingly insightful, revealing unexpected common ground. Minkowski, in his brief remarks, even positioned Rameau as a French counterpart to Bach, a genius of comparable stature. Les Boréades, a late work for composer and period alike, contains musical seeds – particularly in its innovative approach to harmony – that Mozart would later cultivate. In this sense, Rameau acts as a musical Archaeopteryx, bridging the Baroque and Classical eras. Minkowski elicited a colorful and spirited performance from the orchestra, full of delightful surprises that included a blustery rendition of the ‘Gavottes pour les Heures et Saphirs’ (complete with wind machine), a languorous account of the ‘Entrée de Polymnie’ and a frisky, propulsive ‘Contredanse en rondeau’ reminiscent of Bruckner’s future hunting tunes.

While Rameau was completing Les Boréades, the young Mozart was already touring as a prodigy and composing his First Symphony. Decades later, Mozart composed the Jupiter Symphony, a work that, like Rameau’s late music, foreshadowed future musical developments and anticipated the symphonies of Schubert, Brahms and Bruckner. The verve of Rameau’s suite seamlessly transitioned into Minkowski’s energetic rendition of the Mozart. Conducting from memory, his expressive gestures mimicking bowing and grand sweeps drew a committed response from the orchestra.

Handel’s concise Concerto grosso Op.3 No.4, a work cobbled together from parts of his opera Amadigi di Gaula, opened the concert. It was a perfectly agreeable work and expertly rendered by Minkowski and the orchestra. Oboist Jennet Ingle’s delicate solo-playing in the second movement Andante was a particular delight. While a pleasant enough start, the performance underscored Handel’s relative conservatism when set against the more rebellious spirits of Rameau and Mozart, setting the stage for the stylistic explorations to come.

Minkowski’s debut with Music of the Baroque was a resounding success. His insightful programming, energetic conducting and deep understanding of the stylistic nuances of each composer brought fresh perspective to Handel and Mozart’s works and illuminated the less-traveled paths of Rameau’s genius. The orchestra responded with impressive versatility, making for an evening of compelling music.