A cold, wet evening with snow forecast. A ten coacher, but no entertainment in transit from the other passengers, just a couple a loud young drunks on the stairs out of Oxford Circus tube station.
Given the weather, to the Beckstein Room for a picnic in the corner, along with two other parties, so we did not feel too conspicuous. Another good ration of wine, served by eye, rather than by measure. And the second duffel coat in two concerts, the first one a proper yellow one on a gentleman, the second one a red one on a lady. BH suggested afterwards that they might be coming back into fashion, so perhaps I need to get on with refurbishing the fastenings to mine. £400 for a new one seems a bit strong, just for want of a ha'p'orth of tar. See reference 3.
Director on the harpsicord, five voices and four strings - two violins, a viola da gamba and a theorbo. The viola da gamba looked much like a cello, but had no leg (so was sometimes stood on a stool) and seven strings, three white and four black. I had thought that the theorbo played here had twelve regular strings, plus some extra long ones. I had also thought that the extra long ones were drones after the fashion of a sitar, but all this turns out to be quite wrong. See for example, reference 4.
Mainly vocal - solos, duets and choir - but broken up with some instrumental pieces. From the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with something of the flavour of folk songs, but actually, I think, songs and music written for courts, mostly the court of the king of France, the sort of thing that turned up in the elaborate masques of the day and morphed into the French operatic tradition. Some gods, suns and moons. Much death and dalliance. Much rustic love. Something of Marie Antoinette playing at shepherds and shepherdesses about it, although she was a bit later. The musicians were not dressed up, but they did move around a bit and there were some elementary props, for example a table for them to sit at. So what I would call semi-staged.
The harpsicord was dated 1999 but was, I dare say, a decorative replica of something much older. I dare say also that some at least of the other four or five instruments were either old or replicas. They also sported antique music stands, made of turned and polished wood.
The three lady singers were good at sitting or standing still when it was not their turn, while the viola da gamba player was something of a fidget, which BH found irritating.
A précis of the words of the songs was projected onto the curved wall at the back of the platform; I had thought in white letters, but thinking about it now I would not like to have to testify to either black or white. Notwithstanding, I thought this device worked very well, although BH preferred to follow the words proper in the programme, as usual. It would be interesting to see if, now that they have the technology, the Wigmore ever do this for Schubert recitals, and, if they do, whether it works for me.
Cock & Lion busy with football at the interval.
A good concert and I was very glad to have been; would probably go again if they were ever in town. A lovely sound, but one which does not have the sophistication and power of the music from getting on for two hundred years later that we usually hear. Music which emerged more from the courts of Protestant (?) Germany, rather than from that of Catholic France.
Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2018/11/pergolesi-again.html.
Reference 2: https://www.arts-florissants.com/.
Reference 3: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2016/12/duffel-coat.html. Three fastenings were done at about this time, but nothing since. Not even sure where the makings are now. Further report in due course.
Reference 4: http://www.theorbo.com/.
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