Van Diemen’s Band – Bach Concertos
Thursday 30th June 2022, ADCH livestream – Palais Theatre Franklin, Tasmania
A newly purchased harpsichord, hand-crafted from the Spanish workshop of Titus Crijnen was the centrepiece of the Bach Concertos programme given by Van Diemen’s Band at the historic Palais Theatre Franklin in Tasmania’s Huon Valley, streamed live through the Australian Digital Concert Hall. Formed in the round, the musicians were spotlit performing in front of the stage on the same level as the audience where they sounded naturally resonant. People were kindly invited to view the instrument and its painted Australian flora and fauna.
According to his biographer Johann Forkel, Bach was admired as a player of the clavier “by all who had the good fortune to hear him and was the envy of the virtuosi of his day”. Modelled on the three-movement Italian concerto form, his Keyboard Concertos are all presumed to be arrangements of concertos for other instruments, performed in Leipzig to exhibit the arrival of a new harpsichord, and to demonstrate Bach’s own technical accomplishments and ingenious expansion of design.
A beautiful video of Tasmanian landscapes was shown as VDB’s artistic director and lead violinist Julia Fredersdorff paid her respects to the traditional land owners and introduced the concert items. Digitally available notes were written by Christopher Lawrence.
The energetic tutti of Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in A major BWV 1055 opened the concert, with Donald Nicolson playing broken-chord figurations on the harpsichord before emerging from the texture as soloist, often performing completely on his own. At other times the five string players provided warm accompaniment with the ritornello theme and its shorter motifs, establishing a perfect balance and a commendably lilting rise and fall of dynamic. Donald gave an absorbed and beautifully phrased performance of the melancholy Larghetto attaining a long, fluidly expressive melodic flow with gently integrated trills on the harpsichord, while the strings provided mindful support. The musicians gave a beautifully restrained performance of the Allegro ma non tanto without losing Bach’s sense of driving motivation.
An extra two violinists joined the ensemble for Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor BWV 1041 where upward rising intervals were performed with cheerful vitality, as the idea recurred among the players. Julia’s melodic elaborations exuded soft and sweet-sounding tone, balancing admirably with the fully rich texture of all instruments joining together. The Andante brought gracefully cantabile and more wonderfully hushed playing from Julia, as the violin wove leisurely melodic lines above a recurring pedal motif in the bass. Jennifer Owen’s viola provided the downward descending bass line at times, and I enjoyed other occasions during this concert when the viola came into into its fruity own. The final movement was full of spirit, showing off the violin soloist’s virtuosic capabilities including passages in a high register, rapid string crossings and bariolage, thrillingly yet always tastefully performed. Equally entertaining were Julia’s playful dissonances and the agility of dancing bass instruments.
With her gorgeous tone, Julia gave a tenderly poignant performance of the intensely lyrical and enduringly popular Air from Bach’s 3rd orchestral suite BWV 1068, attended to by soberly measured bass instruments, tuneful exchange in the upper strings and Donald providing elegantly melodic realisations on the harpsichord.
Bach’s action-packed Keyboard Concerto in D minor BWV 1052 was powerfully assertive from the outset, the lengthy and tremendously rhythmic first movement exploring a wide harmonic trajectory. It posed a veritable workout for the harpsichord soloist with exposed and dramatic toccata-like figurations and dazzling cadenzas to which Donald imparted a riveting potency. A great benefit of the live streamed performance was the ability to see many images of Donald’s hands nimble at the keyboard. The slow central movement was engrossingly sombre, featuring a copiously embellished cantilena for the harpsichord, assiduously performed. The harpsichord continued in its authoritative role with brilliant and ceaselessy flowing solo passages for the final energetic Allegro, Donald performing with virtuosic fervour and unflagging momentum – an electrifying climax to Bach’s unremittingly vibrant music!
Finally, Donald gave a solo performance of La Marche des Scythes by French harpsichordist Royer, a ridiculously flashy piece (the harpsichord shook!) with a tenaciously sinister theme offering an incredible display of the new instrument and the player’s technical prowess. I hope the harpsichord enjoys its new home and is granted many outings; it is certainly in safe, loving and highly capable hands.
