BREMF LIVE SHOWCASE – Lowe Ensemble, Triple Fipple, Nocturnalia Ensemble, Minerva Baroque

BREMF LIVE! is the life blood of the Brighton Early Music Festival. This scheme for showcasing, mentoring and promoting the young stars of the future has borne such excellent fruit, now including the new Co-Artistic Directors of BREMF itself, soprano Hannah Ely and recorder player Olwen Foulkes. This is a well earned dividend as a new, inspiring generation takes over. Expectations are very high but they are well equipped to meet the challenges of te future and extend the splendid legacy of Clare Norburn and Deborah Roberts.

VIVA VIVALDI ! – Lowe Ensemble
Joseph & Gabriel Lowe (violins), Xavier Lowe (viola da gamba, cello), Santiago Lowe (cello), Myriam Lowe (harpsichord)

BREMF is an extended family of dedicated musicians, competent organisers and enthusiastic audiences. There is plenty of space for the Lowe Ensemble, a talented family affair confident enough to deliver an entertaining programme of Vivaldi full of Baroque style and pathos that ended with a terrific rendition of the La Follia variations. This charming group should go far and we can hope to hear them again soon with another, full programme.

Rating:

Antonio Vivaldi:
Concerto for strings in G major RV 151 – Presto – Adagio – Allegro
Sonata No. 5 in E minor RV 40 – Largo – Allegro – Largo – Allegro
Trio Sonata ‘La Follia’ in D minor RV 63

…

IN SEARCH OF SUNLIGHT – Triple Fipple
Kate Bingham, Larli Davies & Hannah Parry (recorders)

Triple Fipple will benefit greatly from the mentoring that the BREMF LIVE! team offer, especially in preparing their programmes. Their start was hesitant and they had chosen a work for a stringed instrument rather than their own recorders. Their music dashed back and forth over the centuries which was unsettling. For an ensemble with particular focus on works by female and disabled composers it’s a pity there was just one woman’s piece. Their music was meant to evoke sunshine but was rather overcast, the brightest work being the earliest and their finale, which was a bit too cerebral.

Rating:

Anthony Holborne – Fantasia a trois
Guillaume Dufay – Dona gentile belle come l’oro
Josquin Desprez – Helas Madame
Maddalena Casulana – Stavasi il mio bel Sol
Johannes Ciconia – Una pantera

…

OLEA MEDITERRANEA – Nocturnalia Ensemble
Mojca Jerman (violin), Pablo Tejedor-Gutiérrez (cello), Alex Mastichiadis (harpsichord)

We were taken on another trip around sunnier climes, this time the Mediterranean. The introductions were charming. It would have been helpful if there had been a clear break between the tuning and the start of the music. These talented international players engaged us with a varied selection of Baroque novelties, the first a UK premiere in modern times and their splendid Fandango a world premiere in modern times. It made the whole event very special.

Rating:

Stratico – Violin Sonata in D minor, Andante and Allegro
Tartini – Violin Sonata in F major Op. 1 No. 12, I. Adagio
Tartini – Violin Sonata in F major Op. 1 No. 2, III. Allegro assai
Manalt – Sonata No. 5 Largo andante
Anonymous – Fandango for violin and continuo

…

HANDEL IN ROME – Minerva Baroque
Danni O’Neill (soprano), May Robertson (violin), Jacob Garside (cello), Callum Anderson (harpsichord)

The rattle of a tambourine announced the final set in this afternoon’s concert and on came the cast, even the cello playing on the move. Minerva Baroque demonstrated their musicality, dramatic sense and comic timing. Their programme encompassed a whole range of emotions which no doubt the young Handel experienced in Rome; he also got up to a lot of mischief, some scholars maintain! Minerva Baroque had the nous to give us lovely works in Italian and others in familiar English. I couldn’t hear all the words of the final Purcell song but the stagecraft carried the meaning perfectly. This ensemble will polish up well.

Rating:

Henry Purcell – Great Apollo and Bacchus
Alessandro Scarlatti – Struggiti, o core, in pianto (L’Arianna)
George Frideric Handel – Rejoice greatly (Messiah)
Handel – Fiamma bella (Aminta e Fillide)
Purcell – He that drinks is immortal

…

St George’s Church,
19 October 2024
Andrew Connal