THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 30, 1995 TAG: 9510300027
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theater Review
SOURCE: BY LEE TEPLY
SPECIAL TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
British soprano Emma Kirkby travels the world to perform and record music of the 17th and 18th centuries. On Saturday evening, Kirkby, along with her husband, lutenist Anthony Rooley, came to the First Presbyterian Church in Hampton to perform songs of England's Restoration period.
The concert was part of the superb Great Performers Series offered by the Hampton Arts Commission.
This year, the musical world is observing the 300th anniversary of the death of Henry Purcell, one of England's greatest composers. Kirkby's program featured several of his works, and surrounded them with pieces by his lesser-known, but worthy, contemporaries, among them Henry Lawer, John Blow and Daniel Purcell (Henry's brother). The riches of this musical world, which flourished in the post-Cromwell era, display an acute sensitivity to the structure and meaning of the texts.
While the texts' general moods were effectively portrayed, many individual words were delightfully expressed in moments of clever word painting. This was found in both the composer's actual notes and in Kirkby's agile ornamentation.
In short songs, Kirkby used a wide range of gestures and facial expressions, to tell the story quickly and convincingly. Each half of the program had as its centerpiece a longer work with a much more complicated story. The first of those, Nicholas Lanier's ``Nor com'st thou yet, my slothful love,'' is a near-operatic mad scene that could be compared favorably with those of later centuries. Unusually clear diction and changing vocal colors helped the audience follow the tragic drama.
The other large piece, a much more familiar work, was Purcell's ``The Blessed Virgin's Expostulation.'' Mary's monologue, which reflects her anxiety over her 12-year-old son's absense, is a troubled premonition of his crucifixion. Kirkby's ``staging'' was daring and effective. She sat for the central portion of the piece, a symbol of Mary's inner torment and of her son's death, and rose dramatically on the words ``How shall I stand?''
Such choreography was not ``theatrical'' in any bad sense of the word. It was explained by the program's title, ``The Theatre of Musicke,'' which was taken from the 17th-century collections in which much of the evening's music is found. Composers at that time understood music's emotional power and expected singers to communicate with the audience much the way Kirkby did.
Rooley played no small role in the concert's drama. His engaging personality made the brief music history lessons between pieces helpful in appreciating the music. Throughout the program, he accompanied his wife with a sensitivity to the rhythmic detail within her flexible tempos. He colored his chords, changing their textures to support and enhance the drama of the vocals.
He was less effective in pieces for lute alone, although that was mostly the fault of the room's dry acoustics. His upper notes sounded thin and did not travel far. Still, he played with both the spirit and the energy of the dances that were behind much of his music. ILLUSTRATION: THEATER REVIEW
When: The Theatre of Musicke
Who: Soprano Emma Kirkby and lutenist Anthony Rooley
Where: First Presbyterian Church, Hampton
When: Saturday evening
by CNB