Attired in costumes and wigs fashionable in the 18th Century, this orchestra was an attractive-looking ensemble.
Their programme of music was taken from the Baroque of 1650-1750, encompassing composers such as Bach and Handel, Pachelbel and Boyce. To further endorse authenticity, their instruments were made in a manner contemporary with the music and were tuned at a slightly lower pitch than that to which our ears were accustomed.
Albinoni's Concerto for Two Oboes, No.12 in C was characterised with a pause before cadences or final chords, while Telemann's Don Quixotte, incorporated superior cello playing and was terminated with a dramatic diminuendo to an abrupt end.
In Bach's Concerto for Oboe d'amore, the accomplished soloist showed considerable flexibility and agility, while the continuo was well controlled and sympathetic.
Through the second movement of Handel's Concerto Grosso No.5 in D minor we heard the solo oboe in song, low strings pulsating in conjunction; in the last movement the harpsichordist came to the fore with eloquence.
Familiar pieces, Air on the G String by Bach and an exact and expressive rendering of Pachelbel's Canon, were also included.
To close was, most suitably, Worcester Symphony by Boyce, first performed at a Three Choirs Festival.
Humorous comments, written contemporaneously in the 18th Century, added further to a relaxed afternoon's entertainment.
Jill Hopkins
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