Europa Galante

J. and I went to hear Europa Galante at the Library of Congress Wednesday night. EG is one of Europe's preeminent period instrument ensembles, and are quite a name in early music circles. I was pleasantly surprised that they were coming to the LoC, where tickets are essentially free (you pay only the Ticketmaster service charge) as opposed to being presented by someone like WPAS, which would probably charge upwards of $40. I was less surprised that the show actually sold out; good thing our friends J.&N. and we bought our tickets early.

The concert was fantastic. The group sounded fabulous, the program was both interesting and mostly good (not necessarily the same thing in early music), and the size of LoC's Coolidge Auditorium was perfect for the size of EG's forces – six violins (three first, three second), one viola, a continuo section of harpsichord, theorbo, cello and bass, plus their leader Fabio Biondi soloing, mostly on violin. Most of the program was new to me – I was familiar only with Vivaldi's famous D-minor concerto from L'estro armonico, of which EG used the an arrangement for two violins and cello and played at breakneck speed. Vivaldi, in fact, dominated the program. They opened with his sinfonia from La Senna festeggiante. Sinfonias were short overtures, usually in three movements, to longer works. When performed by themselves, they became the classic three-movement (fast-slow-fast) baroque concerto. This one was apparently written as an introduction to a large-scale celebratory oratorio. It is a solid work, not one of Vivaldi's most memorable, but from the first note EG's sound was absolutely glorious.

Period instruments sound noticeably different from their modern counterparts even on record, but played live, the contrast is dramatic. The sound is typically darker and the attack softer, but they lose nothing in expressiveness. They typically sound thinner, not in the sense that bass frequencies are lacking, but in the sense that the overtones are more sparse, helping to clear up dense counterpoint. Detractors insist that the sound is wimpy, but in the hands of a group like EG, there was plenty of brio and energy. In fact, they were fairly jumping out of their skins on the fast movements. Though in theory the instruments don't project well, EG's sound was very balanced, and I had no trouble hearing anyone, not even the theorbo, a notoriously quiet instrument.

They followed the Vivaldi with a violin concerto of Jean-Marie Leclair, with Biondi soloing. I had not hear Leclair before, though I've heard him mentioned. The concerto was attractive, especially the slow movement, and Biondi's soloing was impressive. They closed the first half with a suite by Purcell, one of the highlights. Aside from Vivaldi and Bach (and maybe Couperin), Purcell is about the only baroque composer with a distinctive, readily identifiable style. People don't usually talk about an English style when discussing late seventeenth – early eighteenth century instrumental music, but I think Purcell is proof that there was one. I'm not sure I could put into words what makes him unique, but his music definitely has a certain sound. The suite EG played consisted of nine short dance-based movements, with violins sitting out three of them (two airs and the jig), leaving Biondi accompanied by just the continuo section and creating an even more intimate and sparse sound. The jig, in particular, was interesting – slower than what I expected, nothing you could actually dance a jig to (not that I would know...), but it had that telltale Scottish/Irish sound, with a strong attack on the downbeats and a lopsided, “rolling egg” rhythm.

EG opened the second half with one of the most beautiful and fascinating works I've heard in a long time, and easily the highlight of the show – Vivaldi's double concerto for viola d'amore and lute. Viola d'amore is an interesting beast – a bit larger than a modern viola and slightly misshapen, it has six strings tuned in thirds, plus some drone strings under the soundboard, giving it a very resonant, nasal, exotic quality. A violin with a bit of bagpipe mixed in, if you will. Biondi played exceptionally well, as did his lutenist Giangiacomo Pinardi. The entire concerto was gorgeous from first note to last. I must get a recording.

They continued with the Vivaldi D-minor concerto I mentioned above, and closed with Suite “Les Nations” -- a collection of short works by secondary Baroque composers from different countries that Biondi assembled into a suite. The only composers familiar to me were Telemann and Biber, and none of the pieces really stood out, but the suite as a whole did prove that while the best of baroque music is absolutely sublime, the vast majority is generic. The six composers represented all sounded exactly the same.

All in all, a great concert. Even if not every piece was earth-shattering, EG's sound alone was worth it.

On an unrelated topic, I should mention that J.&N. and J. and I had dinner at Montmartre near Eastern Market before the concert, and I was served skate wing with sauteed lettuce. Yes, lettuce. I've never had sauteed lettuce before, and now I will ensure I will never have it again. C.S. says that the idea was probably an effort to contain rising food costs. I guess Montmartre wants to be able to retain its status as one of the best deals in the city, high-end fare at mid-level prices. It's a noble ideal, but sauteed lettuce is way too high a price to pay for it. Personally, I'd rather pay $2 or $3 more for my entree.