Nothing is by chance.
The level and result was as elegant as it was brilliant.
PalmTime travel, a long-held human obsession, was made possible by Studium. To begin with, they traded their usual haunts for the Church of La Mercè, consecrated in 1661—nothing is a coincidence—the very time when all the composers featured in this concert were writing the pieces we heard last Monday. Furthermore, they did so with a lineup that would very likely have been quite similar to those of the 17th century: two violins, Ramon Andreu and Bernat Martí; a cello, Rosa Cañellas; an organ, Pedro Aguiló; and two sopranos, Irene Mas and Raquel Ribas. There was no need to close our eyes, or climb into Doc Brown's DeLorean, or enter the time machine imagined by H.G. Wells, nor was it even necessary for the musicians of Studium Aureum's small orchestra, conducted by Carles Ponseti, to use period instruments. Everything was much simpler; just by listening, we were able to enjoy a delightful and rich journey through the Italian Baroque. With such a small effort, we encountered as many as ten contemporary and fellow Italian musicians. The evening began with Girolamo Frescobaldi, with Canzon seconda, for two violins and continuo. From the very first agreements, it was enough to know that the teleportation had been a success. Just in case there were any doubts, the two sopranos were added to perform the Hail most noble virga Jesse, by Michelangelo Grancini, and so on, Dario Castello, Giovanni P. Cima, Salamone Grassi, and Arcangelo Corelli, among others, made an appearance.
It is not necessary to comment on each of the pieces. The level and result was as elegant as it was brilliant, with this type of giuoco della copie, as Bartók would say, and what does it mean couples game, dialogues and complicitys between the two violins, between the two singers, and between the bass and the continuo. Just in case there was any doubt about the latter. giuoco, This became clear with the interpretation of O sacrum conviviumFor two sopranos and continuo, by Cima, Irene Mas remained by Pedro Aguiló's organ, while Raquel Ribas and Rosa Cañellas moved to one of the side chapels, echoing the voices of the former. Just one more effective, anecdotal touch, because the whole, this miscellany of early and mid-Italian Baroque, from the selection to the performance, was a stimulating and exquisite journey through time.
