RED PRIEST

Concert Program
Program Notes
Biographies

Pirates of the Baroque
Saturday, January 21, 2006
8 PM, Synod Hall

Piers Adams — recorders
Angela East — cello
Howard Beach — harpsichord
with Special Guest: David Greenberg — violin

Gypsy Sonata in A minor Largo Vivace Affetuoso Allegro	Georg Phillip Telemann 1682-1767
Three Airs Sailor Lad Sailor Lassie Come Ashore Jolly Tar With Your Trousers On	Traditional Arranged by David Greenberg
Gavotte with Variations	Robert Mackintosh 1745-1807
The English Nightingale	Jacob van Eyck 1590-1657
Adagio (from Flute Sonata BWV 1020)	Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750
Concerto in G major RV 433 “The Sea Storm” (“La Tempesta di Mare”) Allegro Largo Presto	Antonio Vivaldi 1676-1741 Arranged by Red Priest
Intermission
Concerto in D minor RV 565 (from “L’Estro Armonico”) Allegro Adagio e Spiccato Allegro Largo Allegro	Antonio Vivaldi Arranged by Red Priest
Prelude from Suite No. 1 for Cello	Johann Sebastian Bach
Bach on G, or “We won’t let her go till you give us back our boat” Allegro Poppy Leaf Hornpipe The Princess Royal Hornpipe I The Princess Royal Hornpipe II (traditional Cape Breton setting) Miss Charters’ Reel	Bach/O’Carolan/Dow/Taditional Arranged by David Greenberg
Niel Gow’s Lament	Niel Gow 1727-1807
Aria Amoroso	George Frederick Handel 1685-1759
Concert Fantasy on “La Folia”	Arcangelo Corelli 1653-1713 Arranged by Red Priest

Program Notes

The popular Hollywood image of pirates as likeable, swashbuckling rogues is certainly at odds with the gory reality of their trade, and to equate such scoundrels to our most learned baroque composers may seem fanciful in the extreme. But on closer inspection there are parallels which, if nothing else, ignite the imagination and allow us to take an alternative look at one of the most colourful periods in musical history.

The leading musicians from this time were pioneers and adventurers, riding the seas of change with wild abandon, ever searching for new musical treasures to titillate the ears and move the souls of the public. Only in retrospect has the mythology of highbrow, rule-bound men of quill and parchment been created; the reality was much earthier, the majority of composers living boozy, philandering, extravagantly bohemian lives, intent on maximising their profits through, if necessary, dubious means. Yet ironically it is from this very atmosphere of skulduggery that some of the greatest works of art were produced.

The most obvious expression of piracy amongst composers was the poaching of musical ideas. In a world of undeveloped copyright rules it was relatively easy to pass off others’ themes—thinly disguised or otherwise—as one’s own, and open re-arrangement of other composers’ works to suit one’s musical palette or instrumental line-up was commonplace. Indeed, if composers of the past could witness our attempts today to reproduce slavishly their precise notes and nuances they would in all probability be dumfounded—that concept was at direct odds with their own adventurous spirits.

Tonight’s program features not only examples of plagiarism from the baroque era, but also our own contributions to the practice. Amongst the former are the works by Telemann, who regularly stole tunes from gypsy musicians, whom he met on his extensive travels in Eastern Europe, and Handel, whose gorgeous Largo from the Trio Sonata in B minor bears an uncanny resemblance to an aria from an opera by Reinhard Keiser (Handel played in Keiser’s Hamburg opera orchestra for a while and stole many of his good ideas.)

The life of Antonio Vivaldi—the original Red Priest of Venice—is a case study in baroque extravagance Indeed he was described by the English composer William Hayes as a man with “too much mercury in his constitution,” a characteristic in plentiful display in the two extrovert concertos presented here. The Concerto in D minor, from his celebrated Opus 3 set of concertos entitled L’Estro Armonico (The Harmonious Fancy) was originally scored for two violins, solo cello and string orchestra, but transcribes comfortably for smaller ensemble (J.S. Bach even arranged it most successfully for solo organ), while the Tempesta di Mare (the Sea Storm) is closer to its original format as a flute concerto, albeit with a few nautical interpolations which we found impossible to resist.

Johann Sebastian Bach was a prolific arranger of the works of others, taking inspiration in particular from Italian composers such as Vivaldi and Marcello—but in this program we have turned the tables on him, through our own arrangements of the great master’s music. These range from a straightforward transcription of the mellifluous Adagio from his sonata BWV 1020 (originally for flute and keyboard) to a more elaborate four-part reworking of his famous E-major Preludio for solo violin. David Greenberg’s “Bach on G”—subtitled “We won’t let her go till you give us back our boat”—takes things a stage or two further, as an innocent violin sonata is hijacked by marauding pirates! Our arrangement of Arcangelo Corelli’s famous “Folia” Variations is similarly unbridled, and while it may not fit the currently accepted boundaries of “authenticity” we hope that it is taken in the truly baroque spirit with which it is intended…

Finally, the seafaring theme of our concert has been extended to include a set of traditional folk airs, as collected by James Aird (c.1750-1795), and a few rediscovered musical treasures. Although hardly household names in the manner of Bach, Vivaldi and Telemann, the 18th century violinists Niel Gow and “Red Rob” Mackintosh (named, like Vivaldi, for his red hair and fiery temperament), and the 17th century recorder virtuoso Jacob van Eyck, represent the tip of an iceberg of musical jewels frozen in time

Piers Adams, 2005

Biographies

Red Priest

Red Priest is one of the major success stories on the international early music scene today. Named after the flame-haired priest, Antonio Vivaldi, this extraordinary English ensemble has redefined the art of baroque music performance, combining the fruits of extensive research with swashbuckling virtuosity, creative re-composition, heart-on-sleeve emotion and compelling stagecraft. The group performs largely from memory, allowing an operatic level of freedom and interaction, and its programs are drawn from myriad baroque sources to create a kaleidoscopic range of moods and colors.

Formed in 1997, Red Priest now gives over 60 concerts a year in some of the most prestigious venues in Europe, Australia, the Far East, Russia and especially the USA together with radio and TV broadcasts and an exclusive series of CD recordings for Dorian, including “Priest on the Run,” “Nightmare in Venice,” and “The Four Seasons.” International music critics have described the Red Priest style as “electrifying,” “sheer daring,” “immaculately forged,” “sonically supercharged,” “brilliant and inspired,” “deliciously twisted”—but the group’s extravagantly baroque ethos is perhaps best summed up in the words of English musicologist and broadcaster George Pratt: “If nobody goes over the top, how will we know what lies on the other side?”

2005 saw the launch of Red Priest’s “Red Hot Baroque Show” — a dramatic marriage of Baroque instrumental wizardry with modern stage and lighting technology, and a major TV documentary for the UK’s premier arts program, the South Bank Show.

To find out more about Red Priest, including details of recordings and concert performances, please visit their website at www.redpriest.co.uk.

Piers Adams was recently heralded in the Washington Post as “the reigning recorder virtuoso in the world today.” He has performed in numerous festivals and at premiere concert halls throughout the world, including London’s Royal Festival, Wigmore and Queen Elizabeth Halls, as soloist with orchestras including the Philharmonia, the English Sinfonia, the Academy of Ancient Music, the Singapore Symphony and the BBC Symphony. Piers has made several solo CDs reflecting an eclectic taste, ranging from his award-winning Vivaldi début disc to David Bedford’s Recorder Concerto—one of many major works written for him. He has also researched, arranged and recorded a variety of romantic showpieces, which are a mainstay of his recital programs. He will shortly embark on a series of solo discs for Dorian. Full details of his performing activities can be found on www.piersadams.com.

Angela Eastis widely respected as one of the most brilliant and dynamic performers in the period instrument world, praised in The Times, London, for the “elemental power” of her cello playing. She has given numerous concerto performances in London’s Queen Elizabeth and Wigmore Halls, and has performed as soloist and continuo cellist with many of Europe’s leading baroque orchestras. Among her impressive list of concert credits are La Scala, Milan, Sydney Opera House, Versailles and Glyndebourne. In 1991 Angela formed “The Revolutionary Drawing Room” which performs chamber works from the revolutionary period in Europe on original instruments, and whose first eight CDs have received glowing reviews world-wide. In May 2001 she recorded the complete Bach Cello Suites for Dorian.

David Greenberg enjoys a busy and diverse career as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, and folk fiddler. As a Baroque violinist, Greenberg has performed and recorded with many of the best North American early music ensembles, including the Seattle Baroque Orchestra and ten years as a core member of Tafelmusik. He serves as Associate Concertmaster with Apollo’s Fire. David is also recognized as a master Cape Breton-style folk fiddler, and co-authored the definitive treatise on the music from that legendary Nova Scotian island near his Halifax home. David is a member of the Celtic all-star trio Ferintosh and as well as Glasgow’s Concerto Caledonia. Many critically acclaimed recordings have resulted from these classical and folk music collaborations.

Howard Beach’s uniquely wide-ranging style of keyboard playing has been developed through years of partnering fine musicians in many different fields of music, as well as his own experience as an accomplished singer and violinist. Since 1989 he has worked regularly with Piers Adams in concert and in the recording studio as both harpsichordist and pianist—including several performances in London’s Wigmore Hall and tours throughout Europe, Canada and the Far East. He has also performed and recorded as a concerto soloist and continuo player with Les Arts Florissants, the Apollo Chamber Orchestra and the London Mozart Players. Howard broadcasts frequently on radio and has been consultant and performer on programs for UK’s Channel 4 TV.