While there were certainly some interesting melodies and fragments during this second concert in the Romanticism series at the Vzlet Theater Nov. 28, the overall impact was somewhat flat.
Local virtuoso Jiří Bárta kicked off the evening by demonstrating how with a few raps of his knuckles and an effects machine, he could transform his cello into a personal percussion section. His improvisation on Bach’s Sarabande from the Suite in C Minor, however, mostly added a sense of foreboding to match the blizzard just getting underway outside.
The pieces sung and played by the Bardolino ensemble could not be called boring, but seemed not to excite the ears of those present, between frequent pauses and an overly staccato feel in general. Their attempts to fuse folklore airs with classical precepts was certainly admirable, but the Velvet Violin reckons they may have been asking a little too much of their audience on this occasion.
Unlike the bilingual explanations that accompanied Bárta’s teaming up with Briton Hamish Milne for the first concert in the series (see previous blog entry), foreign audience members were left wondering about the context of some of the pieces played this time around.
The Velvet Violin is hoping for better results from the next performance Dec. 21, when Bárta will take on Bach’s Goldberg Variations in the company of violin, cello and viola.
Themes of Romanticism II
Nov. 28, Vzlet Theater, Prague 10
Johann Sebastian Bach: Sarabande from Suite in C Minor BWV BWV 1011, as improvised by Jiří Bárta
Margit Klepáčová – Říkadla
Pavel Fischer – Koně
Margit Klepáčová – Elementy
Camilo Caller – Rozbřesk u Sněženky, Vzpomínky na Chincheros, Děti z Yoruby
Pavel Fischer – Jig, Marel o Del marel
Ursari (Bardolino s J.Bártou)
As performed by:
Jiří Bárta – double bass
Bardolino ensemble
Margit Klepáčová – cello, Pavel Fischer – cello, Camilo Caller – drums
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