Early Music America Fall 2014 - (Page 41)

A JOYFUL NOISE HIGHLIGHTS OF BFX 2014 I playing bagpipes and ended with The Whole Noyse. Jarring Sounds were there; so were Antic Faces and the Barefoot Chamber Concerts' Marais-a-thon-a six-hour celebration of "the viol player's viol player." There were Wise and Foolish Virgins, Songs of Love and Loss, Improvisations Inspired by Birds, and a Big Band Concert of music mostly by Bach. There was KontraBande, a Traveling Jukebox (aka lute player), Obsession and Unrequited Love, and Music for the Divine Feminine as well as music from the Queen of Heaven herself: Isabella Leonarda. T STARTED WITH THREE MUSICIANS The Twelfth Berkeley Festival & Exhibition (BFX) included many new faces By Don Kaplan PHOTO:BRANDON LABADIE from the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Ensemble Vox Luminus, the Belgian Gramophone magazine award winning chorus, made its American debut. Acclaimed keyboard artist Kristian Bezuidenhout appeared in concert on the West Coast for the first time. The renowned Ars Lyrica Houston and Choir of Trinity Wall Street made their Festival debuts as did Ciaramella, House of Time, Cantainbanchi, and the Davis Senior High School Baroque Ensemble-the first high school level group of its kind in the U.S. There were many familiar faces, too, from the 2012 BFX, like Alice's Renaissance String Band, The Albany Consort, Bertamo Trio, Agave Baroque, Ensemble Vermillian, Ensemble Artemisia, Vinacessi Ensemble, and Bay Area Baroque Orchestra. Early Music America's Young Performers Festival was back with six ensembles of talented young artists from the U.S. and Canada, and Robert Cole (who founded the Festival in 1990) returned in a new role as artistic director. Although this BFX emphasized variety over a central theme, a few motifs emerged. There were several programs that included music by women composers and numerous lute concerts. Some programs gave the Festival an international flavor by covering a wider than usual geographic area that encompassed North and South America as well as Europe. La Folia, the Portuguese dance that was popular during the Renaissance, was popular here as well, and there were many programs of an unusual nature. The general impression was that the performances were consistently excellent...and with good reason. A large number of presenters were recording artists and award winners; all were talented musicians ranging from highly qualified amateurs to internationally known artists, many located in the Bay Area. The EMA Exhibition gave Festival goers an opportunity to talk with knowledgeable instrument makers from In the "Battle of the Early Bands," an EMA Youth Advisory Board event, contestants (l to r) Michelle Levy, Jessica Schaeffer, and Argenta Walther of Angelhead were asked to improvise in response to the playing of Shira Kammen (far left). around the world. Visitors could also examine some of these handmade instruments including recorders, other woodwinds, and copies of the types of viola da gamba Marin Marais wrote for specifically. Several early music organizations and publishers were represented, and a nice supply of sheet music was available. The always informative and attractive Reader Early Music America Fall 2014 41

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Early Music America Fall 2014

Editor’s Note
Baroque Competition
Sound Bytes
Musings: Ave Atque Vale
Musings: Ave Atque Vale
Recording Reviews
Recording Reviews
Aetas Aurea: An Early Music Macbeth
Aetas Aurea: An Early Music Macbeth
Mysterious Titles, Hidden Meaning
Mysterious Titles, Hidden Meaning
Viola da Gamba Dojo
Viola da Gamba Dojo
A Joyful Noise: Highlights of BFX 2014
A Joyful Noise: Highlights of BFX 2014
Book Reviews
Book Reviews
EMA Donations
EMA Donations
Ad Index
Ad Index
In Conclusion: Sam Franko and the Origins of the Early Music Movement
In Conclusion: Sam Franko and the Origins of the Early Music Movement

Early Music America Fall 2014