With its customary exuberance and sagacity La Follia provided a window Saturday night into Christmas in the European Baroque.
Its program at First English Lutheran Church mixed secular with sacred, instrumental with vocal and liturgical with folk traditions. From France came three noels -- in this guise, pieces for organ solo that, says organist Keith Womer, attracted large crowds to cathedrals in advance of Christmas Mass. The first, by Louis Daquin, was a delightful and concise rondo. The others, more florid and character-laden by Claude Balbastre, brought out Womer's considerable skills in Baroque ornamentation.
A traditional Hebridean gem titled "The Christ Child's Lullaby" is a work of rare beauty the kind that elicits a collective sigh from an audience at its end, as it did here. Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Prewitt, accompanied by harpsichord, recorder and flute, gave a heartrending performance of this modal, folkish piece, which included some ingenious voicings of dulcimer and lute sounds from Womer at the harpsichord.
The Italian Baroque was represented by a reverent song by Francesca Caccini, a recorder sonata by Dario Castello that spotlighted Dell Hollingsworth's virtuosity and mastery of ornamentation on that delicate instrument, and a richly textured motet by Isabella Leonarda that was rife with imitation and instrumental flourishes.
In a more nonseasonal vein were Marin Marais' Suite in G Minor, which even when well-played is a somber if not downright boring piece of music; and Georg Philipp Telemann's Trio in E Minor, two movements of which were performed a bit too fast to accommodate the precise ensemble required of the flute and oboe.
Michael Huebner
Special to the Austin American-Statesman
December 11, 1996
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