Apeiron Baroque brings out its ‘infinite’ qualities

Music / “Trios For 4”, Apeiron Baroque. At Wesley Uniting Church, March 25. Reviewed by LEN POWER.

NEWLY shaped Canberran Early Music ensemble, Apeiron Baroque, carried out “Trios For 4”, the primary of 4 live shows for 2023. 

Apeiron Baroque, named after a Greek phrase usually that means “infinite”, can also be equated with evenness, plurality, movement and even their obvious reverse, badness.

John Ma, (violin/viola/d’amore) and Marie Searles, (fortepiano/harpsichord) had been joined for this live performance by two Canberran specialists, Lauren Davis (violin) and Clara Teniswood (cello).

Their live performance of 9 works spanned the whole breadth of the Baroque period. Amongst the composers represented, there have been works by the lesser recognized composers, Marco Uccellini, Andrea Falconeri, Isabella Leonarda and works by the well-known Georg Philipp Telemann, Johan Sebastian Bach and Georg Frideric Handel.

John Ma gave entertaining introductions to the works all through the live performance, presenting details of curiosity about their lives and works, typically with humorous anecdotes in a pleasant, relaxed fashion.

The live performance started with Aria Sopra “La Bergamasca” by Marco Uccellini. It was the proper opening, being brilliant and vibrant. Ma described it as a “lusty courtship dance”. Maria Searles then performed the primary motion from “Harpsichord Partita #1”. It was a haunting, melodic work and Searles performed it fantastically.

Handel’s “Trio Sonata in B Flat” with its properly reflective second motion was sensitively performed and Falconeri’s “La Suave Melodia” was a melodic spotlight, performed by John Ma on violin and Clara Teniswood on cello.

Isabella Leonarda’s Trio Sonata Prima was one other melodic work, fantastically performed. 

John Ma defined that Leonarda, who spent most of her life in a convent, was some of the prolific composers of the baroque period and a uncommon feminine composer from that point.

Ma then performed Telemann’s “First Fantasia in B Flat for Solo Violin”, a extremely interesting work, which he carried out very effectively. “Sonata Representativa” by Heinrich Biber was properly lyrical and punctuated, surprisingly, with imitations of varied birds and animals such because the nightingale, frog, cuckoo, cat and rooster, amongst others.

A brilliant and busy work by Nicola Matteis, “Floor After the Scotch Humour”, was then energetically and finely performed, bringing this very attention-grabbing and pleasurable live performance to an in depth.