Concert: Ensemble Mirable (04/19/2013)

 

Ensemble Mirable

04/19/2013
First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto, CA

Ensemble Mirable
Junghae Kim, harpsichord
Joanna Blendulf, viola da gamba/cello
Elizabeth Blumenstock, violin
Kati Kyme, violin
Kevin Cooper, baroque guitar
  
¡Vivas las Diferencias! The uncommon grounds and sonatas of the Italian and Spanish Baroque

MARINI Sonata Op.1 No.9 "La Foscarina" 
Bartolomeo de Selmay SALAVERDE "Vestiva i colli" passegiato
PANDOLFI Violin Sonata Op.3 No.2 "La Cesta"
Diego ORTIZ Ricercada Primera e Segunda from El Trattado de Glosas
FRESCOBALDI Partite Sopra Folia
CAZZATI Ciaconna "sopra sette note" Op.22

BUONAMENTE Ballo del Gran Duca
Santiago de MURCIA La Jota - Fandango
GUERAU Marionas - Passacalles de 1 tono - Canarios
TURINI Sonata No.1
FALCONIERI La Folia
ALBICASTRO Folia Op.5 No.6
VIVALDI La Folia, Op.1 No. 12 

直接在這兒開宗名義，我很喜歡變奏曲形式的音樂。不過，我指的不是晚期巴洛克或早期古典的那種常見的主題與變奏，而是建立在重覆的頑固低音(ground bass) 或是和聲進行(chord progression)的曲子。最常見到的曲式及標題，則莫過於Chaconne，Passacaglia，以及La Folia了。San Francisco Early Music Society舉辦Ensemble Mirable的這場音樂會，是一首接著一首這類型的變奏曲，實在是太合我的胃口了~~

如要採簡單的二分法，這晚的曲目可分為獨奏與合奏的曲子。對於音樂家來講，一段段由簡入繁的變奏，正好是展現演奏者技巧的最佳橋段。循序漸進的寫作手法，就連最入門的聽眾也聽得出所以然。在獨奏曲中，因為目光全聚集在一位音樂家身上，這再明顯也不過。在合奏曲中，雖然扣人心弦的部份不能缺少，但也強調聲部交織融和，更突顯出另一種平衡和美感，而不再將炫技擺在絕對第一順位了。

這一晚，Ensemble Mirable的成員都有自己獨奏的戲份。團長Junghae Kim是彈大鍵琴的，演奏Frescobaldi為鍵盤而寫的Folia變奏曲。從古至今，寫Folia的作曲家川流不息，而Frescobaldi是較早期的一位。但這些早期義大利作曲家的鍵盤Folia，並不能算是我最喜歡的類型。儘管Junghae彈得句句到位，我對這首的反應並沒有特別強烈。


Joanna Blendulf，則有兩段的演出。第一首是西班牙作曲家Salaverde根據Palestrina有名的旋律而寫的變奏曲。Salaverde本身是吹低音管的，所以就算當初音樂沒有明確指定樂器，今天大多也是以低音管演奏。不過，Salaverde的曲子也給予大提琴家們表演早期古樂的機會，所以Salaverde的音樂今天用大提琴表演也算是個常態。這首Salaverde是典型十六十七世紀加花變奏(diminution/divisions)，除了開頭還聽得出一點Palestrina原有的面貌之外，Salaverde加的音立刻脫離了原曲，成為嶄新的曲子。

另外，Joanna還表演了Ortiz兩首簡短的ricercar。Ortiz是另外一位西班牙作曲家，是古中提琴的大師。同樣也是加花變奏的手法，Ortiz的兩首曲子比起Salaverde更有旋律和節奏感，讓人比較容易喜歡上。而Joanna表演Ortiz時，除了從大提琴換到古中提琴之外，兩首ricercar中間沒有完全中斷，而是伴奏群提供間奏，直接引入第二首。對於曲子比較有瞭解的，會覺得這種處理很妙，不過在坐的許多聽眾，反而有點被搞混。


Kevin Cooper彈的巴洛克吉他，大大地讓伴奏群添了不少生氣。不過，他的獨奏片段，氣氛則相當親密而含蓄。正巧，音樂會幾個月前才寫了一篇有關Guerau的吉他音樂，這晚可聽現場表演，還真是個收穫。不過不同於我的錄音，Kevin是照Guerau原意，一次只撥一條弦，表現出另一種雅緻。

小提琴獨奏，則有Kati Kyme和Elizabeth Blumenstock兩位女士各獻上一曲。Kati演奏的是較鮮為人知的Albicastro的La Folia。該曲Jordi Savall與其團有錄過，很明顯受到Corelli影響，不過在技巧困難度方面，更勝過Corelli。不過，也因為這首似乎有強調技巧的成份，再加上Kati的演奏屬於四平八穩型的，有時很難令人擺脫在聽練習曲的感覺。Elizabeth，則表演了一首Pandolfi小提琴奏鳴曲(之前曾介紹過Pandolfi的錄音在此)。這首奏鳴曲有種異國風味，因此Elizabeth在表演前還特地玩笑地和觀眾說，他們聽到的音「大部份」應該都是對的～～這種早期的奏鳴曲，本來就已有即興的感覺，而Elizabeth又加入了許多自己的裝飾音，讓曲子更添加了一股清新感。音樂會後我好奇地問Elizabeth，音樂中她的即興片段果真當場隨意拉出來的，還是有事先寫下來的？她則回答，除了一兩處會先做好記號，其餘是不折不扣，二十餘年表演古樂的深厚功力。Elizabeth大膽的演奏風格，配上她的創意即興，儘管是相當熟悉的曲子了，總是能夠令我回味無窮。

合奏的曲子中，則有Marini和Turini的奏鳴曲。他們的曲子雖然不排斥，但早期奏鳴曲，我偏坦德國的多過義大利一些些。這可能是因為德國的曲子多了工整感的同時，也多了一份旋律感。因此，其餘的合奏曲我更加喜愛。像Murcia，他的曲子和前輩Guerau一樣，原是寫給吉他的，不過被Ensemble Mirable改編成合奏曲，效果也不錯。本來就那麼有動感的音樂，又添加了熱鬧的氣氛。

 但是，整場音樂會我最喜歡的，是結束上半場的Cazzati的Ciaconna，開始上半場的Buonamente的Ballo del Gran Duca，以及最後Vivaldi的La Folia。Cazzati這首我之前沒聽過，但Ensemble Mirable的生動表演，讓曲子格外新穎。Buonamente的曲子，則是另一首甜美的主題與變奏曲。不過壓軸的Vivaldi La Folia，仍然是音樂會的高潮。儘管這首已經聽過無數次了，但好的現場演出真的令人心曠神怡。Elizabeth犀利的風格，讓Kati似乎受到感染，二小提琴相互扶持卻又互相較勁的意味濃厚，成功地突顯出音樂中的張力。Vivaldi的La Folia，音樂演進直接與明確，不難聽出為何在Corelli之後是最常被演出的La Folia之一。  

音樂會結束後，找了機會和Ensemble Mirable的音樂家們打打招呼，隨便聊聊。之前一直想要大鍵琴家Junghae Kim和大提琴Joanna Blendulf錄的Triemer的大提琴奏鳴曲的實體CD，這一晚她有帶來會場賣。當下購買後很方便地請音樂家們簽名，最後再和整團拍照留念～～


Plainly put, I like pieces written in the variation form.  I'm not so keen on the theme and variations type that became popular in the late Baroque / early Classical.  Rather, I'm talking about the type of music built upon a fixed chordal progression (chaconne) or a ground bass (passacaglia).  When I got wind of what Ensemble Mirable was playing in April of 2013, I couldn't have been more excited.

The program could be sorted into a dichotomy of either solo and ensemble pieces. For a soloist, the variation form may arguably be one of the best vessels for showcasing technical prowess. Starting with a simple theme and slowly building up in complexity, even the most untrained listener won't fail to make out what's happening. In an ensemble setting, virtuosity may not necessarily be the only element on display. Successful blending of parts requires a sense of balance and beauty that is just as important.

Fittingly, every member of Ensemble Mirable had their solo moment. Harpsichordist and director Junghae Kim played the Frescobaldi Folia, one of the numerous Folias to be written in the course of human history. It falls into the category of the earlier type, before the harmonic progression became fixed. Many other early Italian composers wrote keyboard Folias, and they aren't exactly my cup of tea.  Junghae's playing was good, but the piece itself failed to resonate well with me.

Joanna Blendulf was given a few opportunities to play on different bass instruments. She led off with a Salaverde piece based on Palestrina's famous Vestiva i colli. Salaverde was a Spanish composer and an accomplished bassoonist, and it's no surprise that he composed a lot of music for bass instruments. Since a lot of early music was not instrumentation-specific, so despite Salaverde's original intention of probably having it performed on the bassoon or dulcian, it is also commonly performed today on the cello, a fact appreciated greatly by Baroque cellists today. Salaverde's piece is written in the form of diminutions, a style popular in the late Renaissance / early Baroque era.  Besides the opening which resembles what Palestrina originally wrote, the music quickly turns unrecognizable and is a new piece in its own right.         

Joanna also played two Ortiz ricercars, this time on the viola da gamba. Another Spaniard, Ortiz was known as a gamba virtuoso. These two short ricercars give us a hint of what Ortiz was capable of in his day. Unlike Salaverde, the Ortiz pieces have a better sense of tune and rhythm. In other words, it's easier to develop a fondness for. Ensemble Mirable played the two ricercars without a break, a device I though was neat, which unfortunately confused a lot of audience members.

Kevin Cooper's Baroque guitar gave the continuo more spirit and was greatly appreciated. When it came to his solo moments, however, he took on a different character. It was more intimate and mellow. Coincidentally, a few months before the concert, I discovered Guerau's guitar music and a live performance of it was certainly a treat. Unlikely my recording, Kevin follows Gureau's direction of playing the music with complete plucking and no strumming action, and the result is of pure exquisiteness.        


And last but not least, Kati Kyme and Elizabeth Blumenstock each contributed a piece on the violin. Kati performed a lesser known Albicastro La Folia. The same piece was recorded by Jordi Savall's Hesperion XXI, and Corelli's influence is obvious with Albicastro taking the technical aspect to the next level. However, precisely because the piece stressed a bit much on virtuosity, coupled with Kati's solid playing style, it was hard at times to shake off the feeling one was listening to an etude. On the other hand, Elizabeth played a Pandolfi violin sonata. Also recorded by Andrew Manze, this is the first Pandolfi piece I got to know. With an unusual rustic feeling, she jokingly told the audience before she played the piece that she assured us that "most of the notes you hear will actually be right". Improvisatory in nature, Elizabeth's additional embellishments made it even fresher. I asked her afterward if she really does it on the spot, or if she in facts write them down. She replied that besides one or two places she would indeed write it out, when you've been doing this for 20+ years, most of it really is true improvisation. It is no wonder that I continue to find enjoyment in Elizabeth's playing even in music I am familiar with. 

Marini and Turini were two composers whose early ensemble sonatas were featured. Generally they are good pieces, but deep in my heart, I give a bigger nod to the Germans for early sonatas. It's probably because in addition to their "neatness", there's also a stronger sense of lyricism. Therefore, I must say that I enjoyed the remaining ensemble pieces more. Murcia, the third Spanish composer featured this night, wrote mainly for the guitar, like his predecessor Guerau. Ensemble Mirable arranged them into an ensemble setting, which added even more sparkle to the already vigorous music. 

But the pieces I really appreciated the most were the pieces by Cazzati, Buonamente, and Vivaldi. Cazzati's Ciaconna was a new piece to me (I've since acquired a recording of it) and a delightful discovery brought about by Ensemble Mirable. Buonamente's piece, despite falling in the category of "theme and variations", is a sweet and poignant one. However, the real icing on the cake undoubtedly was Vivaldi's La Folia. This was the piece I knew the best, and yet, a good live performance made it no less refreshing. Elizabeth's incisive playing seemed to infect Kati, as this was the most animated I've ever seen her. The violins supported each other but at other times dueled with each other, providing a good sustained tension in the music. In essence, Vivaldi's La Folia progresses rather straightforwardly and clearly, and it is not hard to see why it is one of the most loved and performed La Folias after Corelli's.

After the concert, I spent some time saying hi and talking to members of Ensemble Mirable. I've always wanted to acquire the CD of lesser-known composer Triemer's cello sonatas, recorded by Junghae and Joanna. Junghae did bring copies of them to sell this night, and after buying the disc and having them generously signing it, a picture with the ensemble...