Review Details
COMBINATORICS
Alan Cooper
30 October 2008
KING’S COLLEGE CHAPEL
I had never bumped into the word “combinatorics” before turning up at Thursday evening’s concert in King’s College Chapel featuring the multiple musical talents of Frauke Jürgensen and David Smith. Apparently it refers to a branch of pure mathematics studying the enumeration, combination and permutation of sets of elements and the mathematical relations that characterise their properties. (I looked it up!) Fortunately, it now has a new more music friendly meaning since it has been chosen by Frauke and David as the name of their Duo as well as the title of their latest concert. Both play a variety of instruments in different combinations so this word seemed an apt description of a concert in which they would perform together in a host of different guises. The word “combinatorics” was not the only new thing I discovered at this concert. I had never before experienced a live performance of duets for organ or the combination of voice accompanied by recorder – several different ones at that.
The recital set off with two duets played on the Aubertin organ. These were a splendidly sonorous piece In Nomine by Nicolas Carleton and a much more transparent piece with the two players using flute stops, A Fancy for two to play by Thomas Tomkins.
The four Canzonets (secular songs for accompanied voice) by Thomas Morley had David Smith use a variety of different recorders to accompany Frauke in the songs. I felt the voice and descant recorder went together most successfully although of course the bass recorder is the most spectacular to look at.
Frauke was accompanied by David on harpsichord in Caccini’s popular song Amarilli, mia bella. It has been performed in many ways including a warmly passionate recording by Janet Baker. Frauke’s version came closer to a more ethereal but emotionally neutral version I heard sung by a counter-tenor. Frauke’s natural-flowing ornamentations were particularly impressive. Many other composers have given their own personal slant on Caccini’s original and on Thursday we heard variations for recorder by Jacob van Eyck and a splendid setting by Peter Phillips using the attractive lute stop on the harpsichord, both of these played by David Smith.
Andrew Parcham’s Solo in G Major was the first of two works for recorder and harpsichord played by David on recorder with Frauke at the keyboard. The second was the piece that ended the recital, Telemann’s Sonata No.1 in F and with their splendidly lively fast movements played with style and perfect focus they were two real highlights of the concert.
To complete the first half of the concert David accompanied Frauke on harpsichord in Monteverdi’s splendidly florid song for soprano Quel sguardo sdegnosetto.
Two pieces by Frescobaldi played on the Aubertin by Frauke were followed by a piece in a not dissimilar style by Ascanio Mayone played by David on the harpsichord.
A quite astonishing song by the seventeenth century female Italian composer Barbara Strozzi, Lagrime mie sung by Frauke was followed by her version of the more conventional baroque aria Handel’s O sleep, why dost thou leave me from Semele then with the splendid Telemann Sonata to conclude, we left the Chapel not only having been splendidly entertained but having discovered lots of new music and a new word too.