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I like when classical music ensembles call themselves bands. The word implies a proletarian good time instead of the formal, highbrow listening experience suggested by a continental term like “ensemble” or neutrally descriptive nomenclature like “The __ Quartet.” Nosky’s Baroque Band, the brainchild of violinist Aisslinn Nosky, provided a rollicking good time – and appeared to have one themselves – at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park on Tuesday with a program of Baroque concertos.
The air is typically festive at outdoor shows, especially free ones like these Naumburg Orchestral Concerts. Nosky’s group played to the good spirits percolating through the packed “house,” a one-day break in a string of wet, sweaty weather having allowed the concert to proceed as planned. The program surveyed the concerto form from the late 17th through early 18th centuries and included two works that featured trumpeter Steven Marquardt (who also performs with the period-instrument American Classical Orchestra) on his valveless (or should I say valve-free?) Baroque trumpet.
Skill and Heart
The concert began with the evening’s real trumpet feature, the Trumpet Concerto in D by Guiseppe Torelli. Marquardt displayed superior technical skill and interpretive heart to match as he negotiated the melodies by embouchure only.
I noticed right away a silvery-bright timbre from the trumpet as well as from the nine string players and harpsichord – a clarity that’s sometimes diminished at large outdoor venues where amplification is needed. The group’s Baroque-style instruments actually sounded pretty natural, without distracting artifacts of electronic magnification. Only, at times, the cellos were a little over-present compared to the violins and violas. Marquardt’s crisp but warm performance earned applause after the first movement.
A languidly emotional slow movement (without trumpet) led into an economical finale, and then a long break for Mr. Marquardt, who didn’t return until a Telemann concerto at the end.
Next up was the Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 20 of Arcangelo Corelli. The band shifted among many feels through six short movements, bringing tonal precision and irresistible energy. The “Adagio” was a small torrent of woe, the “Giga” a blast of good cheer, and Nosky led the minuet in animated style, looking like she was having great fun.
I just loved the performance of Torelli’s Violin Concerto in E minor Op. 8 No. 9. Like the first-rate musician she is, Nosky made the first movement’s fast, looping figures look easy. She sharply punctuated the rhythms at every register of her 18th-century violin, her infectious energy carrying the band with her.
The gorgeous harmonic motion and expressive solo passages in the first “Largo” were moving indeed. The third movement, for soloist and continuo alone, further revealed the clarity and depth of Nosky’s sound even in the amplified outdoors, and she turned the final “Allegro” into a sizzling showpiece of shredding and a true Baroque toe-tapper.
Tilting with Telemann
Telemann’s Burlesque de Quixotte Suite is always fun to hear live. Nosky’s Baroque Band conveyed these musical illustrations of Don Quixote’s misadventures with panache and the necessary sense of fun. They gave us an ethereal yet purposeful “Le réveil de Quichotte” and a delicate, dreamlike “Ses soupirs amoureux.” The attack on the windmills had a driving force, and the musicians had frothy fun with Sancho Panza being flung up and down in a blanket. The Suite ended with a turbocharged performance of a spot of music that could easily accompany an American rodeo.
Maybe the Burlesque doesn’t quite meet the definition of a concerto, but it’s close enough, and the theme returned strongly with Nosky’s own transcription for violin, strings and harpsichord of the J.S. Bach Concerto BWV 1052r. The overall performance of the first movement seemed a bit brittle to me, without smooth flow, though that didn’t detract from Nosky’s impressive virtuosity and the ensemble’s synchrony. The slow movement had more feeling, as Nosky further reveled in her rich colors. And the concerto concluded with a fiery, almost devilish “Allegro,” a workout and another impressive showpiece for the bandleader.
Marquardt returned for Telemann’s Concerto for Trumpet and Strings TWV 53:D5. But the trumpet was just part of the band here, which mostly backed up beautiful solo work from Nosky. The “Adagio” was lovely, the finale an exercise in nimbleness.
But don’t take my word(s) for it. The concert was broadcast on WQXR and recorded. You can stream it here.
The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts, going strong for 121 years now, will resume next season.
Follow all things Aisslinn Nosky, including Nosky’s Baroque Band, at her website.
