Tafelmusik Returns to its Baroque Roots

Following its opening concerts of the season devoted to music by Romantic composers, Tafelmusik returns to its Baroque Roots, October 16 to 20 at Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul's Centre. Baroque Roots offers a snapshot of the Italian influences on the music of 17th-century Vienna, when cutting-edge baroque sounds were breaking like waves over Europe. In keeping with this season's theme of "Old meets New," works by Farini, Viviani, Buonamente, Fux, Vivaldi, and other baroque composers are coupled with the world premiere of Italian Soundscapes by contemporary Italian composer Guido Morini. For full program details, visit tafelmusik.org.

Though today Vienna is synonymous with the music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, the city also enjoys a fascinating connection with the "new" baroque music that travelled across the Alps from Italy in the 1600s. Austrian composers caught the spark of innovation from their Italian counterparts, who were experimenting with a style of music that was free, adventurous, and expressive. Italian composers and musicians were sought after by the Viennese court, and Austrian composers soon experimented with some of the radical changes imported from il bel paese.

Tafelmusik's musicians bring this boundary-stretching period of experimentation back to life with ornamentation and improvisation - during and between the pieces. The program starts with intimate solos, duos, and trios by Farina, Bertali, Buonamente, Biber, and Neri before progressing to works for full orchestra by Muffat and Fux, along with Vivaldi's Concerto in D Major, RV563.

The program includes the world premiere of Guido Morini's Italian Soundscapes, a piece in three movements commissioned by Tafelmusik for this occasion. An eminent harpsichordist and organist, Morini writes baroque-style music from a 21st-century perspective.

"My music is entirely conceived using musical languages of the past. Just as an architect uses only wood and stone for a building instead of steel and concrete, I use the composition techniques of the old masters, ranging from Flemish polyphony to Bach. What interests me is not the rigorous philological reconstruction of old works, but rather the melding of renaissance and baroque cultural heritage with contemporary sensibilities," says Morini.

Morini has collaborated with several high-profile European musicians including Jordi Savall, Enrico Gatti, and Gabriel Garrido, among many others. In 1984, together with Marco Beasley, he founded Accordone, an ensemble with which he explores a new approach towards the interpretation of Italian baroque repertoire.

Photo: Junipero's Garden, by Steve Solinsky

Don't Miss a Toronto News Story Sign up for all the news on the Fall season, discounts & more...