United States Muffat, Handel, Bach: Concerto Copenhagen / Lars Ulrick Mortensen (artistic director & harpsichord). Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall, 25.2.2025. (RP)
Georg Muffat – from Armonico tributo: Sonata No.1 in D major, Sonata No.2 in G minor, Sonata No.5 in G major
Handel – Concerto in G major, Op.5 No.4, HWV399, Allegro and Passacaille
Bach – Orchestral Suite No.1 in C major, BWV1066
Concerto Copenhagen got to Carnegie Hall, though the journey wasn’t without its hurdles. Planning began in 2018, but COVID-19 derailed a 2020 concert tour that was supposed to include New York. Fast forward five years, and Concerto Copenhagen finally graced Carnegie Hall with a performance that showcased the ensemble’s high level of musicianship, camaraderie and elegant touch with Baroque music.
Concerto Copenhagen held its first concerts in 1991 and is now one of the leading Baroque orchestras in Scandinavia. Since 1999, it has been led by harpsichordist Lars Ulrik Mortensen. His credentials are impeccable: he studied with Trevor Pinnock and performed with London Baroque and Collegium Musicum 90 earlier in his career.
This concert featured music by the German composer Georg Muffat, who studied with Corelli in Rome and spent six years in France absorbing Lully’s music. Concerto Copenhagen performed sonatas from Muffat’s Armonico tributo, his first collection of instrumental music. Composed in 1682, it was his contribution to the celebrations surrounding the 1100th anniversary of the founding of the Archdiocese of Salzburg, where he served as organist.
In dedicating Armonico tributo to the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, Muffat wrote that the chamber sonatas blend the sweetness of French ballet style with the passion of Italian composers. Muffat was inspired by Corelli’s concerti grossi, which he heard in Rome. These works are among the earliest examples of a German composer mixing ensembles of different sizes for contrast which Corelli pioneered.
Every conductor cultivates a distinctive sound for an orchestra, and richness and warmth appeared to be Mortensen’s ideal. The piquant timbres of period instruments and crisp articulation are present, especially from the trio of woodwind players – oboists Antoine Torunczyk and Miriam Jorde Hompanera and bassoonist Jane Gower – but rich string sound defines Concerto Copenhagen.
The warmth was present from the first measures of the Grave, which opens Sonata No.1 in D major and it never abated. Concertmaster Fredrik From’s tone was silvery and elegant whether in solos or partnering with the equally fine principal second violinist Hannah Tibell and cellist Judith Maria Blomsterberg. Their musical exchanges, whether in Muffat’s complex counterpoint or performing as a concertino in dialogue with the rest of the orchestra, added spice to the performances. The quick movements, including the lively Borea at the end of Sonata No.2, were lively and light.
The woodwinds were a constant source of excitement. Concerto Copenhagen is a true ensemble, but oboist Torunczyk garners attention with his terrific playing, positioned as he is at the center of the orchestra. Lutenist Fredrik Bock added depth and color to the ensemble’s sound and offered some wonderful solo passages in the Rondeau from Sonata No.3 in A major, which was the sole encore. Mortensen afforded himself one flourish on the harpsichord in Sonata No.5 but was otherwise content to lead the orchestra with subtle gestures and finesse.
Handel’s Concerto in G major and Bach’s Overture No.1 in C major completed the program. These giants of the Baroque undoubtedly knew Muffat’s music and, like him, incorporated foreign styles and dance forms into their music. Handel, who had great success with his Italian operas in London, was never shy about borrowing from other composers or himself. The five movements of his Concerto in G major all derive from some of his most popular operas and oratorios.
Very little of Bach’s instrumental music survives, and nothing is known about when, why or for whom the Orchestral Suite No.1 was written. As with Muffat in Armonico tributo, Bach turned to France and Italy for inspiration. The piece is stylistically akin to a Lully suite but Italianate in the treatment of the oboes and bassoon as solo instruments.
In the Handel Passacaille, bassist Megan Adie anchored the piece with a flourish, while From and Blomsterberg shone in the melodies that weave through the piece. The concluding Passapied was the highlight of the Bach, especially the lively, lyrical duet between the oboes and strings.
This concert was a pure pleasure, with beautiful music gracefully performed. Mortensen and his players deftly delineated the three composers’ stylistic differences, but equal emphasis was given to the similarities. If so, this was in keeping with Muffat’s intention, for he wrote, ‘The weapons of war and its consequences are far from me. Notes, harmonies, the sounds of music are my path. And when I combine the French, German and Italian, it is not to incite war, but in a desire for harmony between people and a cautious hope for peace’.
Rick Perdian
Featured Image: Lars Ulrik Mortensen (harpischord) leading Concerto Copenhagen © Richard Termine