The international Concentus Moraviae music festival, which sees world-class performers and leading figures in the world of artistic music flock to more than twenty towns in Moravia and Lower Austria every year, kicked off its 30th anniversary on Saturday 31 May at Porta Coeli in Předklášteří. It was an evening of polyphony from the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries performed by the Graindelavoix ensemble under the direction of conductor, writer, filmmaker and anthropologist Björn Schmelzer.
The theme of this year's festival, Rondo Festivo, is a nod to the name of the artist-in-residence, harpsichordist, organist, pianist and composer Jean Rondeau, yet at the same time reveals the overall character of the dramaturgy, which is based on a cyclical musical form called the rondo: the recurring refrain has a French touch, while the individual verses will be Flemish and Czech. The dramaturgy this year is the word of Belgian musicologist and poet Jelle Dierickx. It's also an anniversary for him - he prepared his first dramaturgy for Concentus Moraviae exactly ten years ago on the theme Let's Celebrate! for the 20th annual festival.
Graindelavoix is one of the most famous ensembles devoted to early music today. It built its reputation and audience appeal on an experimental approach to music, directly continuing the musical legacy of the legendary Ensemble Organum led by French musicologist Marcel Pérès. (It should be added that Ensemble Organum also performed at the Concentus Moraviae, at the 22nd year of the festival, on the theme La voce.)
It was precisely the comparison with Pérès's interpretation of Guillaume de Machaut's Mass (or rather the Mass Ordinary) in the Messe de Nostre Dame that Graindelavoix, as the continuator of the experimental tradition, found unavoidable. The evening opened with the Sanctus section. Although there were points of contact between the two approaches - especially the use of microtonal techniques in certain passages and distinct ornamentation - the resulting sound was diametrically opposed. Where Ensemble Organum sounds clear and energetic (sometimes even deliberately "unpolished"), Graindelavoix opts for a more lyrical and meditative style. The ubiquitous - yet still very delicate - ornamentation adds to Machaut's polyphony and complicates the rhythmic flow of the piece. The two forms are somewhat opposing interpretive approaches, and Graindelavoix carried this "subtlety" over into the other pieces of the evening.
One fine example showing that the ensemble is not afraid to take an atypical approach to a composition is the very next rondeau Fumeux fume (The Smoker Smokes). Björn Schmelzer chose an extremely slow tempo - probably inspired by lazily billowing pipe smoke - thus suppressing the otherwise strong rhythm of the piece, while letting the listener observe more closely the interweaving of the individual melodies and the resulting dissonances. Again, however, with a great deal of delicacy.
Among the most successful interpretations were undoubtedly Johannes Ciconia's Le ray au soleyl (The Sunbeam) and the final pair, Homo mortalis and Hodie puer nascitur by Jean Hanelle. These were also the most energetic works of the evening, and it was here that the ensemble showed excellent work with dynamics and melodic arching. Particularly impressive was the crescendo, which landed abruptly on a delicate pianissimo on the last syllable, all with the other voices showing some impressive and carefully graded dynamic pulsation.
Graindelavoix have a distinctive style, which is a large part of their musical appeal, and it cannot be denied that the ensemble has impeccable interpretive skills. The question arises, however, whether - at least for some of the pieces - a little more energy and "roughness" might not have livened things up a bit. Although the programme worked well musically, I think that sharper edges would have done some of the works no harm and could have prevented that certain "static" feeling that crept in during parts of the evening. However, the effect of the music on a particular listener is undoubtedly determined primarily by their own aesthetic sense. Some will be more comfortable with the style of Marcel Pérès, others with that of Björn Schmelzer, but the important thing is that both of these opposing extremes are high quality, musically impressive, stimulating and emotionally charged forms of music.
Graindelavoix has opened the 30th year of the Concentus Moraviae festival with undeniable success and audiences can look forward to almost a month of remarkable concerts and a lavish accompanying programme. Above all, however, it is packed with stimulating interpretations and fresh musical approaches that push the music to new and novel forms.
Graindelavoix:
Teodora Tommasi
Florence Menconi
Andrew Hallock
Albert Riera
Marius Peterson
Tomàs Maxé
Arnout Malfliet
Björn Schmelzer / artistic director
Programme:
Guillaume de Machaut
Sanctus (Messe de Nostre Dame)
Solage
Fumeux fume
Matteo da Perugia
Hélas Avril
Mattheus de Sancto Johanne
Science at zero annemi
Guillaume de Machaut
Agnus Dei (Messe de Nostre Dame)
Phillipot de Caserta
Espoir dont tu m'a fayt partir
Johannes Ciconia
Le ray au soleyl
Galiot (Giangaleazzo Visconti?)
En atendant d'amer
Jean Hanelle
Hodie puer nascitur/Homo Mortalis
Porta Coeli, Předklášteří,
31 May, 7:30 p.m
Graindelavoix / photo by Majda Slámová
No comment added yet..