“The Elements," Music of the Baroque reviewed by Julia W. Rath

It was in the fifth century B.C. when the Greek philosopher Empedocles developed his classic doctrine that all matter consists of four elements: air, water, fire, and earth. Over two millennia later, the Music of the Baroque (MOB) orchestra celebrated these material causes of the universe with music by Rebel, Telemann, Vivaldi, and Rameau. The program was conducted by Laurence Cummings, the music director of the Academy of Ancient Music, who was also the harpsichordist and narrator.

Jean-Féry Rebel’s “Les Elémens” (The Elements) was a perfect composition to begin the evening’s performance. The first part entitled Le Chaos is just that. It stuns the audience with its discordant opening. If anything, we are reminded of the battle among the elements for primacy. Recorders (Laura Osterlund and Mirja Lorenz) and flutes (Mary Stolper and Alyce Johnson) predominate throughout, with violins plus the theorbo (Dušan Balarin) creating a calm watery sound. Between section of this composition, Cummings read from the libretto. For instance, we learn about how air, water, and fire obtain “their rightful place despite earthquakes.” We witness through music that “when chaos lifts, the elements create a natural order.” Especially notable is the bassoon solo (William Buchman) in the Tambourins I et II section and, of course, the lively percussion (Douglas Waddell).

Next on the program was Georg Philipp Telemann’s “Wassermusik” Ebb und Fluth (Ebb and Flow) TWV 55:C3. The underlying story has to do with a Hanseatic city and the sleeping Sea Goddess named Thetis. When she awakens, a storm brews; and a portrait is painted via music regarding how the various gods interact with her, like Neptune, Triton, and Aeolus, plus the west wind Zephyr, named after the god Zephyrus. We also watch the playfulness of the Naiades, the nymphs who preside over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. The beginning Grave/Allegro section is notable by the oboes (Anne Bach and Erica Anderson) plus the bassoons (William Buchman and Lewis Kirk), followed by the Sarabande section with its recorders (Osterlund and Lorenz) plus harpsichord (Cummings). The jesting in the Harlequinade section features lots of bassoon, whereas the section about the turbulent Aeolus features theorbo (Balarin) and bass (Collins Trier). The final movement focuses on the jolly boatsmen and features the recorder, flute, and oboe.

After an intermission. Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto No. 3 in F Major, “L’autunno” (Autumn), RV 293 followed. This is perhaps one of my favorite pieces of Baroque music (and certainly apropos for the season). The soloist was concertmaster Gina DiBello on violin in a competent, methodical, and rigorous performance. The Allegro movement would be familiar to viewers of PBS, and it features DiBello’s violin solos plus guitar (Balarin), bass (Trier), and harpsichord. The Adagio molto movement is heavy on the harpsichord plus a good deal of cello (Ana Kim and Judy Stone). A series of arpeggios on the harpsichord provide an almost ghoulish sound, almost as if to forecast the coming of winter and the need to prepare for it. This portion is followed by a second Allegro, which is wildly familiar too. Whereas the opening Allegro represents a celebration of the harvest and the harvest moon, the closing one represents a celebration of the hunt and the hunter’s moon that finishes out the month.

The last composition was Jean-Philippe Rameau’s “Suite from Naïs.” This was initially an opera, a “pastorale héroïque”, in three acts and a prologue, based on a nymph in Greek mythology. Again, Cummings read from the libretto. The theme is set in ancient Corinth, where Neptune disguises himself as a human being in order to win Naïs’s hand. The Ouverture features lots of bass, trumpet (Barbara Butler and Jordan Olive), and percussion (Waddell). The Air fier et gracieux section focuses on recorders, oboes, and later a combination of bassoons and oboes with violins in the background. During Tambourin I et II, we see a feast in honor of Neptune, told via percussion and recorders. Flute, cello, and bass make up the Sarabande section, followed by oboes in the Chaconne section to simulate Neptune’s underwater palace. The entire composition ends triumphantly, as Naïs is turned into a goddess and the lovers live happily ever after.

Now let me chasten the audience to live happily too after having seen this lovely concert! With the performance of so many dance suites together with the program’s emphasis on nature and love, how could we not be joyful?