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The Spencer Consort: Flute music of the French Baroque
Set before an elaborate Baroque gate to the European gallery, the ensemble re-created a program Sunday afternoon that centered on flute music of the French Baroque.
The Spencer Consort has been the early music ensemble-in-residence at the Spencer Museum of Art for nearly twelve years. The group, comprised of professors, professionals and sometimes students collaborates to present themed concerts using historic reproduction instruments. The effect is an authentic interpretation of a particular time in musical history. The reverberant central court at the museum with its' marble floor and high ceiling provides a lovely acoustic to complement their performances.
Set before an elaborate Baroque gate to the European gallery, the ensemble re-created a program Sunday afternoon that centered on flute music of the French Baroque. Although not all of the composers represented were French, their style was similar enough to warrant inclusion. Pieces by Marin Marais, Georg Philipp Telemann, the little known Theodorus Schwartzkopff and Jacques Martin Hotteterre and Pierre Danican Philidor, both from famous woodwind families, were enjoyed by a devoted audience.
Consort cellist, Dr. Paul Laird is a professor of musicology at KU. He did an excellent job of providing useful background information about the composers, their families and the times within which they lived. Playing the Baroque cello for this concert he skillfully supported the flautists with care. His wife, Joy Laird and Flute professor emeritus, John Boulton played Baroque flutes and the woody warmth of their tone blended perfectly with the Baroque cello and the harpsichord, played by Dr. Elizabeth Egbert Berghout. ThePieces en trio: Suite in B-flat Major by Marais, resonated with purity throughout the formal space.
The Baroque flute is made from a cylindrical piece of boxwood with holes instead of keys. It is played, like a modern flute, held parallel to the floor. Keeping the instrument in tune over the course of an hour is a feat requiring stamina and technique. Both Mrs. Laird and Mr. Boulton masterfully managed to create glorious sonorities and thoughtful ornamentation throughout the performance. The Canonic Sonata No. 2 in D Major for two flutes by Telemann was particularly impressive as they played without accompaniment; one phrase chasing the other in direct imitation.
Harpsichordist, Elizabeth Egbert Berghout, might have had the most challenging role to play in the ensemble. Usually seated behind a grand organ or the even grander Carillon that sits atop Mt. Oread, the tiny harpsichord keyboard was something of an adjustment. Her sensitivity to the instrument and the improvisational needs of the basso continuo attested to her flexibility and skill.
The University of Kansas has an extensive collection of reproduction historical instruments including multiple recorders, sackbuts, crumhorns, natural horns and viola da gambas to name a few. Depending on the concert theme, the Spencer Consort will include whatever instrumentation is necessary.
The next early music concert will be presented by the KU Instrumental Collegium directed by Dr. Laird on Sunday February 22nd at Swarthout Recital Hall in Murphy Hall on the KU campus at 7:30pm and keep your eyes open for the next musical incarnation of the Spencer Consort.
REVIEW:
Spencer Museum of Art
The Spencer Consort
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Spencer Art Museum Central Court Gallery, Lawrence, KS
Image:
Theodore Rombouts Belgium, 1597-1637
The Musicians, c. 1616-1625
Oil on canvas. 200 x 121.3 cm.
Spencer Art Museum purchase, 1950.0068
Classical, Vocal and Theatre Contributor
Megan Browne Helm grew up singing, dancing and acting. Inspired by Emma Kirkby as a high school student in St. Louis she went on to study voice and sing with the Collegium Musicum at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio where she also had a radio show of contemporary classical music on WOBC. At the University of Kansas she had the pleasure of working with former Kings’ Singer, Simon Carrington in his Collegium Musicum and Oread consort. Years later, she was a choral fellow at the Yale School of Music’s Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. She is currently singing with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus under the direction of Charles Bruffy.
As a freelance music and culture writer her work can be found on KCMetropolis.org, presentmagazine.com, the Lawrence Journal World, Shawnee Magazine, Leawood Lifestyle Magazine and KC Parent. She was one of 26 journalists in the country chosen as a NEA Institute Fellow for Classical Music and Opera at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Her current interest is how classical music remains relevant through active collaborations with artists in different fields, including science. She also sees a connection between classical music, travel and food as a way to engage all of the senses in a 360 degree cultural experience. She blogs at raworganum.wordpress.com.
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