New Tunes on Old Fiddles: Four Lunchtime Concerts

[doversoul1]

The theme of this week's Lunchtime Concerts is "New Tunes on Old Fiddles". Recorded in the Clothworkers' Centenary Concert Hall at the University of Leeds, the four concerts focus on so-called "ancient" instruments, both in their familiar repertoire and out of their comfort zone.

The ‘Old Fiddles’ are: harpsichord, viola d'amore, recorder, and viola da gamba

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yyfyl

This is going to be a lunch-with-Radio3 week.

[french frank]

It's a very imaginative idea and some new works will probably fit the instruments like a glove (especially with the recorder works and, perhaps, the harpsichord). Viola da Gamba and lute ??

[doversoul1]

Paolo Pandolfo played a couple of new works on his viola da gamba on the EMS some weeks ago. I must say both works sounded a bit too crossover-ish to my liking.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ss22f

As for the lute, Julian Bream commissioned quite a few works although I don’t remember hearing them very often. Mahan Esfahani often plays an unusual repertoire on the harpsichord and I think he plays well. Now, for the viola d’amore…. It will be interesting to find out

[Cellini]

Old fiddles?

So as it's a harpsichord trying to be an old fiddle, how much vibrato do you think he/she will use, and will he/she use a period bow (one of those that looks as if it should come with an arrow)?

Or if he/she has been well Tourte will he/she use one of them new fangled "Tourte" bows? What about rosin? Will he/she pluck some out of nowhere?

By the way I won't be listening as I have to learn Mozart and Beethoven before 3.00pm when the harpsichord - sorry - pianer tuner arrives ... or my wife will string me up if I mess up his tuning by practising in tune ...

[doversoul1]

Cellini
Don’t get so wound or you’ll snap. Then what will become of the Mozart?

I expect whoever thought up the title of the series didn’t fiddle about the words too much, assuming that the people who would be reading it were relaxed enough to let keys and bows sit around together. You've got to be a bit in this way when you are talking about things that may or may not have happened five hundred years ago.

Good luck with your Mozart and Beethoven, and I look forward to reading your next review.

[Cellini]

Cellini
Don’t get so wound or you’ll snap. Then what will become of the Mozart?

I expect whoever thought up the title of the series didn’t fiddle about the words too much, assuming that the people who would be reading it were relaxed enough to let keys and bows sit around together. You've got to be a bit in this way when you are talking about things that may or may not have happened five hundred years ago.

Good luck with your Mozart and Beethoven, and I look forward to reading your next review.

500 years ago I was just taking my first steps and learning my first Paganini Caprice. They gave me a Tourte bow in the end, as with the other one I kept firing arrows at the teacher.

The Beethoven (Archduke Trio) is difficult to know where to come in, and the Mozart is just difficult to play. We do it (the Mozart quartet) tonight having not seen it together* before and some youung lady is going to listen and give us some pointers. (Like "give up and go to the pub instead ...")

* In fact there is at least one member of the quartet I've never even met before. Should be interesting ...

[doversoul1]

Cellini
It’s good to know that after 500 years of bowing and scraping, you are still as fit as a fiddle and are giving us merry tunes. Long may you continue. I hope your concert went well.

As for the new tune, it wasn’t aggressive or over-abstract. Apparently, the composer was also an artist. It did sound as if someone had been experimenting with paint. I thought it was a good piece for a concert like this.