The Brackendale Art Gallery will take a step back to the 17th century on Sept. 23 when it presents a concert by La Modestine.
The West Coast-based chamber music group will be performing 鈥淪udden Beauty,鈥� a concert of classical music from the 17th century.
Chamber music鈥檚 origins are often linked more to the 18th century and with string quartets, but La Modestine鈥檚 repertoire stretches further back in time. The group includes two violins and a viola da gamba, similar to a cello. It also includes keyboards instruments 鈥� usually organ and especially harpsichord.
鈥淭hat would have been the keyboard instrument for this repertoire,鈥� member Natalie Mackie told The 麻豆社国产.聽
The quartet is comprised of Mackie on viola da gamba, Marc Destrub茅 and Linda Melsted on violins and Michael Jarvis on harpsichord. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty standard formation for us,鈥� Mackie said.
La Modestine represents a new coming together, though the players are all familiar with each other.
鈥淲e鈥檝e all played together for many years in various combinations of chamber music,鈥� she said.聽 鈥淲e just decided there was a lot of repertoire we wanted to do. We enjoy playing with each other, so we decided to form an ensemble.鈥�
The quartet is starting to rehearse for the concert at the Brackendale Art Gallery and will also be performing the same program in Vancouver on Sept. 24.
The members of La Modestine have been involved in a wide array of other projects.
Mackie, herself, studied cello in Quebec before getting her degree in music from UBC, where she began studying the viola da gamba.聽
She has performed throughout Canada and the U.S. with the New World Consort, Les Coucous B茅n茅voles, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Seattle and Portland Baroque Orchestras, Les Voix Humaines, Les Voix Baroques, Tempo Rubato, Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, Victoria Baroque Players and Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra.
Destrub茅 is a founding member of the Tafelmusik Orchestra and is also co-concertmaster of Frans Bruggen鈥檚 Orchestra of the 18th Century聽and a member of Axelrod String Quartet, the Smithsonian Institute鈥檚 quartet-in-residence.聽
He first came to the BAG when he was with the Purcell Strings in 1987. Several years ago, he offered to bring an octet and has been bringing different combinations to town once or twice a year.
Melsted has worked with Tafelmusik, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, the Portland, Seattle, and Pacific Baroque Orchestras and Pacific MusicWorks, and she has recorded for Sony, ATMA Classique and Harmonia Mundi.
Keyboardist Michael Jarvis has played with many leading orchestras and chamber ensembles here, as well as in the U.S. and Europe, and is also a conductor. He has recorded for many record labels such as Marquis Classics, Hungaroton, ATMA, Naxos, Solitudes and Avalon.
La Modestine鈥檚 music, for the most part, comes from the mid- to late-17th century with a little from the early 18th century.
鈥淭his particular concert is mostly German and English music,鈥� Mackie says.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 a particularly kind of flavourful period,鈥澛�
It emerged, she explains, from a style called 鈥渟tylus fantasticus,鈥� which she describes as being composed to give the feeling of improvisation, with dramatic harmonies, tempo changes and short sections.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very kind of intriguing and almost experimental harmonic little corner,鈥� she adds.
The program will feature works by Johann Adam Reincken, Dieterich Buxtehude, Johann Vierdanck and Henry Purcell. It starts at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23. Advance tickets are available at BAG and Xoco.聽
