United Kingdom William Byrd Competition [2] – Byrd and Weelkes: Fretwork, Temple Church, London, 30.6.2023. (MB)

Byrd – Pavan and Gaillard; Fantasy in 6 components; Three Fantasies in 3 components; Fantasy in 4 components; 5-Half Pavan; Browning; Two In Nomines in 5 components; Prelude and Floor; Fantasy: two components in a single the fourth above; Fantasy in six components

Weelkes – In Nomine in 5 components; Fantasy in six components

Fretwork – Richard Boothby, Emilia Benjamin, Jonathan Rees, Joanna Levine, Sam Stadlen and Emily Ashton

Temple Music’s William Byrd Competition continued with music for viol consort: principally Byrd, however with a few items by Thomas Weelkes. The dual selection and unity of Byrd’s contributions was hanging, in some instances progressively allowing the emergence of older themes, whether or not from folks music or, within the case of the In nomines, a cantus firmus from John Taverner’s Missa gloria tibi trinitas. A programme equally properly constructed and properly carried out, with refined but plain mastery, supplied a restorative lunchtime hour within the coronary heart of authorized London.

A pair of dances, a Pavan and Gaillard, made for an inviting opening, typical of Byrd’s deft mixture right here of depth and lightness of contact, the second dance associated, consequent, but additionally fairly completely different, faster and livelier, although by no means rushed. Three three-part fantasias adopted, shared between the six gamers. The textural distinction was apparent, however they had been additionally softer in temper, particularly the primary, since there was as soon as extra appreciable variation to be heard in work and efficiency. The Fantasy in 4 components was wistful, although by no means morose; at all times, it moved, beguiled, and enriched, a twin emotional and mental deal with. A 5-part Pavan appeared at its opening – nevertheless sentimental it might be to say so – to succeed in ahead, by way of William Lawes and Matthew Locke, to the ultimate flowering of English consort music in Purcell. Not that it was not attribute, however future potentiality additionally appeared current. Ever dancing, it was but by no means fairly the identical. Browning, overtly based mostly on a folks music, proved as variegated because it was catchy.

A positive pairing of In Nomines adopted: the primary intimate, but powerfully, even searingly dissonant; the second providing each complement and distinction. Weelkes’s contribution additionally had its dissonance, voiced in a special, but associated voice, virtually as if it and its predecessor had shaped a part of a sequence with the primary. The ensemble nonetheless numbering 5, Byrd’s Prelude and Floor introduced one other ingredient of contrapuntal method and expression to the fore, as all through enlivening slightly than didactic, illustrative of a seemingly limitless capability for variation. The fantasia two components in a single the fourth above sounded as if an exemplar of Byrd and his gamers’ potential to form a piece with mastery and obvious effortlessness in order to sound ‘pure’ in conception: filled with incident, but with an unquestionable sense and form of the entire.

To conclude, we returned to six-part fantasias by each composers, Byrd’s absolutely the deeper of the 2. Its total passage, of accelerating metrical selection, emerged as if based on the presence of one thing darkly melancholic, half acknowledged and half shrouded in thriller: maybe not the worst metaphor for the live performance as a complete.

Mark Berry