Rolf Lislevand Baroque Jam Session Concert - Essay Example

Rolf Lislevant has had a major role in the development of early music performances. This he has done by not just using original music and period instruments, but he also reinstated missing elements of imprecision. This technique was well-established and widely used when the music was originally composed. However, its use has become rare in classic and baroque music. Lislevant was accompanied by two of his colleagues from Kapsberger Ensemble: Thoharald Johnsen a former student and compatriot and Bjorn Kjellemyr. They primarily played in Jazz style on the double bass, using the fingers instead of the bow. Thoharald Johnsen can also play the Renaissance lute, baroque guitar, and chitarra battente (Buelow, 2004).

The flagship location for the Rheingau music festival was at the Kloster Eberbach, a former imposing monastery. The concert was sold out, and the attendance was up to one thousand people, who came together for a music session known as “Early Music Meets Jazz”. The first concert took place in February 2012 in Australia. This concert was one of the most memorable and scintillating that has ever been witnessed in recent years.

The change in the venue from their first concert which was done in a concert hall, to the cavernous Basilica had some major impacts on several aspects of sound projection. This was most experienced with the lowest register instruments. The amplified bass experienced this as it generated a lot of reverberations and the baroque was most distinguishable. The brass instruments also at some point could not be heard through the acoustic space. However, this did not prevent players from rocking the concert as they took the problem as a motivation to play better. This gave this different concert much joy (Manson, 2013).

The pieces that were mostly played date back to the 16th century, which is very much close to the lutenists’ remit. There were also two pieces from a field that is considered to have been rather neglected by recent music composers. This is the Australian High Baroque which the Concerto Stella Matutina has made to be their own. One of the Australian High Baroque founding fathers is Johann Heinrich Schmeltzer. His Sonata a 3 was a slow graceful work which since Heinrich’s time has shown the Cornett player’s technical abilities. During that time, the Cornett players were seen based on virtuosity as equals to the violin.
Then to the evening’s main business, here jazz started meeting the earlier music such as the performance of the Aria di Firenze composed in the 16th century. The composer of the lyrics is anonymous. The two guitarists with their fluid and crisp flow of rhythmic precision alternating improvisation and melody vividly brought the out concert’s latest dance theme. This was subsequently supplemented by jazzy trombone.

The second half started close to nightfall with breathtaking music by Thor-Heralds Johnsen’s alteration of Kapsberger’s Toccata 2. This was developed by the seamless movement of Lislevant’s guitar through Aria Di Passacaglia by Frescobaldi to his electrifying arrangement of Passacaglia Andaluz by an anonymous composer. The two performances by Francesco da Milano were the main highlights of the night. First was his exquisitely beautiful canon, where he effortlessly altered the original piece. This, he did by playing the renaissance lute while talking to the Baroque guitar to an enlightening effect. Second was the La Spagna which was full of life and served to show how the group specialized in improvisation. At the end of the evening, there was a performance of a passamezzo composed by an Englishman called Thomas Robinson and the Guardian. This is when the Baroque organ had its moment to entertain the audience, and it made the musicians and the audience smile (Manson, 2013).
The concert met its original aim. It made old music sound fresh and new, which was a show of the Concerto Stella Matutina's prowess with this music. This extensive event, lasting the whole summer differentiates musicians and an electric mixture of concert styles, ranging from the early days of Monteverdi Vespers to modern-day jazz. The locations where the Rheingau Musical Festival concerts are held can be reached easily through the shuttle buses, and people should look forward to attending more of them. Read More