Sydney Arts Guide, Paul Nolan, April 14, 2025

Who better than to demonstrate the meaning of Baroque spirit, in a concert of the same name than Salut! Baroque in their 30th birthday year. This exciting concert excited and delighted the assembled crowd. There were cheers, hearty applause and other audible reactions after a lot of this programme.

Many elements increased the interest level and ensured an entertaining afternoon for the loyal followers in this increasingly joyous year for music making from this group. It wouldn’t be a concert from this group without a cornucopia of work several completely new to the concert stage, or seldom performed. Morphing constantly into sub-ensembles various for each listening gem, this programme included music from across the extended timeline for Salut! Baroque’s focus era.

Compositions from many more centres across continental Europe than the big three countries of the 17th and 18th centuries- Germany, France and Italy-were joyously included. In this way, the true diversity of flavour, function and of the festive Baroque were shared with us in the second instalment of this evergreen ensemble’s birthday year.

Of this substantial concert offering’s fourteen pieces, four were German in origin, only one was French, three were Spanish or Iberian Peninsula, three were English, two were Irish, one was Moldavian and an Anonymous composer presented music with an Hungarian flavour.

This was quite the welcome multicultural party-pastiche, linking previously unheard works from so many more than the main trinity of Germany, France and Italy we typically attribute the styles, forms and spirit of the Baroque movement surrounding JS Bach’s lifetime.

Bookending this enlightened exercise in diversity and demonstration of the spirit or character of the Baroque were two twentieth century works. I always feel a HIP ensemble has truly come of age when it does ‘crossover’ work of this kind.

From Salut! Baroque’s birth year of 1995 came the opening movement of the popular, retro and very catchy concerto grosso-a tribute to early architecture and music- in Palladio by Karl Jenkins. To end the event this birthday group treated us to JS Bach in party mode- Bach at the Double (an arrangement for swing trio of double violin concerto BWV 1034 for two violins and bass, complete with modern effects and a movement entitled ‘Lager mit schmalz’, by Professor Teddy Bor.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that no party in any era is complete without guitar and drums. Here we were treated to lashings of both – or theorbo, baroque guitar (George Wills) and percussion including drum and tambourine (Jack Peggie).

This concert, once more thoroughly described in Tim Blomfield’s informative programme note essay, celebrated the Spanish Baroque, with two enchanting and welcome Baroque guitar gems from Santiago de Murcia. These were intimate interludes, finely traced for an edge-of-their-seats audience by George Wills. Catalan fireworks and great duetting work on strings from John Ma and Brad Tham brought the vibrant Baroque frisson in Josep Pla’s Sonata in D minor home and engagingly to our attention.

Foundation member of Salut! Baroque, and Co-Artistic Director Sally Melhuish delivered a mesmerising piece from the Irish late-Baroque composer Neil Gow. His Lament (1805) had a beautifully measured feel to rival many slow movements of JS Bach.

Sticking out as cosmopolitan highlights amidst the Telemann, the Rameau, the excellent arrangement of Bach’ Chorale Prelude ‘Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ’ was a lively Jig from another Irishman Turlough O’Carolan. Further in this spirited Baroque exploration came dance music by Englishman John Playford, some rich and lusciously performed Moldavian dances from Baroque composer Dimitrie Cantemir plus such inimitably recognisable Hungarian tunes collected in 1730.

English composer Robert Orme’s Sonata ‘In Imitation of Several Birds’ from 1700 was colourised with svelte gestures by this group, adding programme Baroque music to the bold musical spirit and variety of period expression already featured.

Please continue this party year in such refreshing, contrasted form, Salut! Baroque!! We are all having a great time at these Sunday afternoon Baroque period discovery parties.

Salut! Baroque present its next Sydney concert, ‘The Entrepeneur’ on Sunday July 20 at Verbrugghen Hall