From a friend in Brno (no, not Janacek) -

   Saw a terrific concert tonight in Slavkov u Brna, aka Austerlitz,
   site of Napoleon's great early triumph (the Battle of the Three
   Emperors), in a lovely zamek (chateau?  villa?  palace?).  Jordi
   Savall & Rolf Lislevand in a concert of Ortiz, Cabezon, Dowlan,
   Hume, Sainte Colmbe, de Vizee, and, centerpieces, Marin Marais
   and Antoine Forqueray.  Titled "Angels and Devils" it highlighted
   two musical "duels", the main one being Marais-Forqueray, from
   whence the program's title; but they managed to turn the
   Dowland-Hume section into a duel as well (Hume won for showmanship,
   Dowland for music).
   
   The whole thing was a delight, for me particularly, because
   Savall played the entire evening on a 7-stringed bass viol, which
   is my favorite; he far too often (for my taste) plays a descant
   viol; the bass has a sound like nothing else. Highlights of the
   evening were Marais' Prelude to Les Voix Humaines (he also did
   the musette from this suite), which had me forcibly restraining
   from emitting audible sighs it was so lovely; and two of the
   encores, both being improvisations. MORE, say I to this: first
   encore was an improv onan old Bretagne melody which was so sad
   and morose that, again, the bass viol was created to pull sighs
   and plaints from it. THis was juuuuust wonderful. After a couple
   more Marais musettes they did a wonderfully gentle series of
   improvs on a canarias. The combination of theorbo and bass viol
   was perfect for keeping the thing from becoming senselessly
   jaunty, and as they brought the piece to an ever more silent
   level....... the bells on the neighbouring church began sounding
   the hour - 10PM - and, with a knowing look at each other, the
   two musicians simply let their sound fade and the bells take
   over. It was "one of those moments".
   
   Far too little music in Brno of this calibre; but this was worth
   the wait and the drive. Savall commented that, though he's from
   Spain, he'd never played a concert in warmer weather. I don't
   know what the temps have been here, but someone mentioned 36 in
   passing the other day; couple that with unusual humidity and it
   starts to get uncomfortable (while Moravian Brno was sweltering,
   nearby southern Bohemia was suffering cloudbursts that had streets
   flooded above car axle level. In one day! charlie

Janos Gereben/SF
www.sfcv.org
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