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Baroque Music of Bolivia Emma Kirkby
soprano Florilegium (Ashley Solomon, director) Domenico
Zipoli: The Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos and Moxos made remote outposts in the heart of Bolivia's rainforest to become centres of Italian Baroque style music-making. Alluring in prospect, and even more so after perusing the lavishly illustrated and collectable programme, most of the actual music, by Zipoli and "anon", proved to be pleasant to hear once, but of little more than curiosity value. The main novelty in the selections we heard was the quaint sound of unfamiliar language in 'Au nipostij Tupas ape', not very convincingly put across by soprano Gabriela Di Laccio; the rest were in Latin. A minor discovery, worth keeping in the baroque repertoire, was an anonymous La Folia - no relation to the ubiquitous tune upon which everyone has composed variations through into the last century (is there one yet for the 2000s?). This sonata for two violins was supported by a rich continuo group including guitar, which also gave an exotic flavour to various otherwise conventional items, notably thrumming below descant recorder and two violins in Pastoreta Ychepe Flauta. But what drew us to Wigmore Hall, and made the evening worth-while, was the artistry of Emma Kirkby, who led ensembles and brought several arias to life as only she can; every phrase expressive, roulades tossed off (apparently) effortlessly, though those few who attended her fascinating Master Class at Trinity College of Music last month will have been left with no doubt about the realities. Opportunities to hear Emma in live concert are not to be missed, and she did not disappoint the sold-out audience or her listeners standing at the back.
Peter Grahame Woolf |