Camerata, Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra | Davide Monti: Baroque Labyrinth
November 14, QPAC, Brisbane, QLD
As yet another Brisbane thunderstorm rolled in, pelting Southbank with rain, I sought refuge in the QPAC Concert Hall for an evening of baroque chamber music.
Camerata, Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, partnered with violin virtuoso Davide Monti and baroque harpist Maria Christina Cleary to present a bold, theatrical program exploring the theme of labyrinths. The performance was accompanied by a short film produced by filmmaker Ferdia Durkin, visually exploring ideas of mazes and labyrinths. This theme also reflected the feelings of disorientation and confusion we can feel when navigating the maze that is our daily lives.
Camerata also welcomed Yanela Piñera, a Principal Artist from Queensland Ballet, as a special guest for this concert. I have previously seen her perform as the Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, so it was interesting to see her in such a different role. She wove in and out of the orchestra, dancing in her own labyrinth.
The story of the concert was tied together by a red thread, which Davide presented to different musicians throughout the program. Beginning with music by Monteverdi and Handel, we journeyed through the labyrinths of Greek mythology, where Adriadna gave Theseus red thread to guide him through the maze.
The next bracket of music explored labyrinths for the performer, putting them in an unexpected position where they could get lost. Benedetto Marcello’s harpsichord sonata played with twisting music notation and Bach’s harmonic labyrinth shifted abruptly to vastly different keys. We also heard the World Premiere of John Rotar’s The Labyrinth, which gave the feeling of walking slowly through a maze, step by step.
Davide had his own maze to navigate in Locatelli’s Labyrinth. This piece had the subtitle Easy to Enter; Difficult to Get Out Of, and it was easy to see why. Davide’s performance of this challenging piece was mesmerising. Yanela danced alongside him, her performance evoking feelings of getting lost in the endless twists and turns of a maze and becoming overwhelmed.
The final piece was Locatelli’s lament, The Weeping of Arianna, returning to the Greek mythology story. This gave us a moment to reflect on the journey we’d been on, through the interaction of music, dance and film. Did we find our way out, or are we still searching?
Camerata then performed an improvised section to close, with the musicians wandering around the stage. In all, this was a dynamic and thought-provoking concert, and a fitting way to wrap up their 2024 season.
Photo Credit: Alex Jamieson
