A TRULY VERSATILE KEYBOARD PLAYER
There she was, barely 6 days after having tackled with success Beethoven’s taxing and very challenging Hammerklavier Sonata in a co cert grand piano in Valletta (Malta Society of Arts).
The petite and slender Joanne Camilleri came out to present her recital of pieces for the comparatively fragile harpsichord. As festival artistic director Fr. George Frendo was to say later, this harpsichord is the only one in Gozo. It was built a few decades ago based on an instrument dating to the 1750s. The underside of the lid is very beautifully decorated with an Arcadian scene. The VIAF came by it thanks to a benefactor, organist and researcher Richard Vendôme.
Joanne Camilleri interacts very well with an audience. She briefly introduced the works of her choice for the concert including information about not only the pieces but often with useful comments about some of the lesser-known of them. Her performance was proof of her stylistic, idiomatic and technical versatility. The harpsichord needs to be tackled with a different touch than the piano and this was completely at her command.
The recital included various forms such as a Sonata, three capricci, a suite and a selection of three separate movements by the same composer. Different styles too there being the German and French as well as a very Italianate inclusion.
Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-80) was a German composer, brilliant student of J.S. Bach and almost always lived in great poverty. According to the performer, despite his high quality work he lived in the late Baroque period and he went out of fashion. Judging by his Sonata in A minor, KWV 838, in three movements, he was indeed a worthy composer. The work has some very catchy
passages and a certain enjoyable litheness.
The first Capriccio was Johann Sebastian Bach’s, “…sopra la lontananza del suo fratello dilettissimo,” BWV 992. There is a lot tenderness here and certain passages evoke the sound of passing carriages. I would say in that case that whether the beloved brother travelled by coach or walked as the younger Bach did in later years the evocation is there.
More in German style was Handel’s Capriccio in F Major, HWV 481. It was a lovely piece, with everything flowing and concentrated within the single movement that is a capriccio.
The last of the three capricci was the Capriccio per cembalo, by Francesco Azopardi (1748-1809). During the latter part of the long tenure of Benigno Zerafa (1726-1804), Azzopardi, was assistant Kapellmeister at l-Imdina Cathedral. As assistant Azzopardi was paid less while doing most of the work. When Zerafa’s death resulted in Azzopardi’s promotion he only enjoyed for five years. His Capriccio has a strong, bright and Italianate feel to it with one particular piece was not only cantabile but also molto ballabile. It was also possible that this was the first public performance of it.
The penultimate composer featured this evening was the short-lived Jacques Hardel (c.1645-78), therefore the style changed to the rather flowery French one. His Suite in D minor reflects a problem this composer had with the Courante which was to follow the opening Allemande. According to Dr. Camilleri he did not seem happy with the first attempt but left it there. He could have, one supposes, tried to compose a totally different one. Nay, Courante n.2 was only slightly different than the first. In these suites based on dances differing in tempo it was not unheard of to have two. However still dissatisfied, Hardel composed a third Courante and perhaps uniquely, he put THREE in a row! A sedate Sarabande followed, which in turn, led to a merry Gigue.
The last composer featured was Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) so the style remained French. From his Nouvelles Suites de Pièces de Clavecin there was a selection of three.
From Suite n. XIII was the most popular: Les sauvages from his opera-ballet Les indes Galantes. The other two were L’Enharmonique, (n.XIV) and L’Egyptienne (n.XV).
Joanne Camilleri was justly accorded the deserved acclaim which resulted in an encore. This was the famous soothing Aria which is at the basis of J.S. Bach’s [30] Goldberg Variations, BWV 988.
Albert George Storace.