Celtic Baroque
Written by Stewart Smith, HIP Company associate artist, historical keyboard player, and artistic consultant.
14th April, 2023.
Whilst we, quite understandably, tend to associate the Baroque with Europe, intrepid historians and performers are happily now looking further afield. We know a lot about German, French and Italian Baroque music, but what about Portugal, Mexico, Bolivia or the Scandinavian lands, what is their Baroque music like? In this spirit of enquiry and aided by the fact that three of the performers have Scottish or Irish roots, HIP Company doing a Celtic Baroque programme seems like a natural fit. I know a fair bit about the Scottish side of things — including music by James Oswald, William McGibbon and others — but I’m looking forward to working with, and learning from, my colleagues again, Krista, Sarah, Bonnie, Andy and Jet. Krista, Sarah and Andy are always inspiring, Jet is a marvel at making something out of nothing (all his music is improvised) and hearing Bonnie deliver an Irish song is a true masterclass in phrasing and rhetorical pacing.
I’m writing this just before our first rehearsal. All the preparatory work has been done, including initial sessions with Krista and Bonnie to select material (where we seemed to come up with enough material for a week-long festival!). Bonnie and I have also been busy making editions and arrangements. But deliberately, we are also leaving many things to chance as the improvisatory component of Baroque music is an essential part of its special charm. The best traditional Celtic players of course didn’t read, or indeed need, music, which is as true today as it was in the Seventeenth or Eighteen centuries. Many Classical musicians today are, by nature and training, so terribly score-bound, but we are looking forward to taking a different path. The five of us had great fun playing a French Baroque programme last year, a true a true labour of love, and are all excited to pick up where we left off. Expect something different with Celtic Baroque. Have you ever heard a Maggot? We will be offering one by Mr Dubourgh, an Irishman. Other exotic delights include a trio sonata by James Oswald based on Scots tunes, and a new arrangement of the original haunting tune to Auld Lang Syne.
The Celts have something special to offer, and to this end we warmly invite you to our concert this week in Fremantle.
Click the button below for information about HIP Company’s concert, ‘Celtic Baroque’, on 20th April.