MUSICA VIVA PRESENTS ‘RECONNECT SYDNEY’ @ CITY RECITAL HALL

Above (l to r) : Erin Helyard and David Greco.

Across the country, arts organisations muted by venue closures during the pandemic are slowly starting to safely emerge,  in our new-normal environment.

Musica Viva is contributing to this phoenix-style rise of live music via its national ‘Reconnect’ series, featuring hour-long concerts to reduced audiences and breathing the exquisite life of survival into
previously closed venues.

The four concerts planned in this series feature both instrumentalists and singers. In Sydney, under the artistic directorship of keyboardist and early music expert Erin Helyard, we witnessed a perfect gel between fellow early music instrumentalists as well as fellow Pinchgut Opera regular baritone David Greco.

Above : Violinist Matt Greco 

Joining these two were Matt Greco and Rafael Font (violins), Anton Baba (viola da gamba) and Hanna Lane (harp).

This concert reunites Musica Viva guest musicians, audiences and subscribers with a challenging and musicologically interesting event. This concert beautifully contributed to our status quo with drama,
solid artistry and intelligence.

The nine works on the programme, all by German speaking Baroque composers and from an earlier generation mixed keyboard, string ensemble and accompanied vocal music genres.

Above : Anton Baba played viola da gamba at this event.

Apart from works by JS Bach and Handel, we were introduced to expressive instrumental and vocal pieces by composers rarely heard on the stage. There were absolute gems by Schmelzer, Tunder,
Krieger and Bruhns in the mix with favourites such as Bach, Handel, Buxtehude and Biber here, all formidably performed.

The performers, some performing live for the first time in many months, both reconnected with Sydney audiences and gifted us the gestures and structure of pre-Bach composers in a diversely programmed event.

The concert flowed smoothly between short works for solo chamber organ or harpsichord, solo harp, ensemble strings and works using all forces with voice.

Above : Violinist Rafael Font.

Amongst the newer works an absolute highlight was the penultimate work, Schmelzer’s intricate Variations on La bella pastora. There was great finesse in the interplay between the string players and the drama of this composers variations unfolded in bold, strident conversation.

David Greco’s treatment of the Latin text in the two works by Biber and Bruhns was equally as compelling in its drama, with colour and diction nicely placed in this sharing of rare works.

The setting of De Profundis Clamavi (1665) by Nicolaus Bruhns to end the hour-long event was another special moment. All musicians on stage were well interlocked and the echoing of sentiment,
gesture and musical material kept a keen momentum throughout the work and across this eloquent ensemble.

Hanna Lane’s earlier improvisation on a period German song gave us nice exposure to the timbre and use of the harp both in the past and now.

Above : Harpist Hanna Lane.

Erin Helyard applied sparkling render to intimate organ and harpsichord works by Tunder (Canzona in G major) and Krieger (Fantasia in C major) which was a fine way to endear us to the keyboard style of this era as well as quickly vary the programme’s texture.

This concert was ecstatically received by the live audience and, as is now commonplace, offered a home streaming option as well.

As CEO Hywel Sims touched on in his welcome back speech, Musica Viva is thankful for the donation of cancelled ticket funds back to the organisation to help it continue through 2020. We are thankful
for the offering of such a quality concert with which to reconnect to them.