Word: harpsichords
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...music for which they were originally formed. The closing work of their program, the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, is often considered the finest example of concerto grosso writing. More often than not, its balance of concertino and ripieno forces is distorted to the point that the harpsichord and flute are never heard, the oboe, rarely, and the trumpet always...
Conducting from the harpsichord, Nils Vigeland led a well-balanced ensemble hampered only by the harpsichord's small size. Of the four upper-voice players, violinist Lynn Chang and flutist John Thow showed fine technique with sensitive dynamics and phrasing. Thow's playing had the kind of edge necessary for a flute set against such dense counterpoint provided by the more powerful instruments...
...which this definitely was not. The violin section was outstanding, playing presto sixteenth-note runs with a remarkable unity. The strings never covered wind solos, among them the beautiful clarinet and bassoon accompaniment to Don Ottavio's Il Mio Tesoro Intanto. An important detail was the size of the harpsichord: mercifully, it was large enough to cut through the heavier scoring, avoiding the distracting jangle that is the fate of a small instrument pushed to extremes...
...wonder. The work is an unabashed sex comedy, a Myra Breckenridgian imbroglio of ungodly carryings-on among ancient deities. Cavalli's music floats along, endless melodious recitative, rich with strings, harps and harpsichord. The music makes even a blush-laden plot acceptable: Jove desires nubile Calisto, a virgin in the temple of Diana. Figuring correctly that Calisto will do anything Diana tells her, old Jove transforms himself into a replica of that bosomy goddess. Meanwhile the real Goddess Diana is cavorting with a local shepherd. After her gay, if confusing, romance, poor Calisto is turned first into a bear...
Museum of Fine Arts Concerts Lisa Crawford, harpsichord, Paintings Gallery, Museum of Fine Arts, 7, April...