San Francisco Classical Voice

Ziani's sonata was surprisingly dark and lovely. It opened with a chromatic fugal subject taken up by the five-voice texture. As each voice joined in, the mood only got heavier. After a canzona-like section, block chords led to a descending passage that reached new depths. It was as if all feeling were suspended. Though the piece explored different visions of the world harmonically, all was muted and blurred.

The Ziani having tapered into silence, lutenist Luca Pianca provided a segue into a sonata of Johann Rosenmüller. Though German, Rosenmüller worked in Venice and was well respected by the Italians in his time. This sonata was like a breath of fresh spring air after the gloomy winter of Ziani. A light and chirpy theme provided the imitative basis for the first section of the sonata. Next came a pastoral section, enhancing the image of nymphs and shepherds frolicking in the springtime. The piece closed with a brilliantly ornamented high-speed chase, which included much animated movement on stage from the violinists.

The last five-part piece on the program came from Giovanni Legrenzi, who bridged old and new in 17th-century Italy. He greatly influenced Vivaldi and successfully combined the fantastic harmonies of earlier music with advances in playing technique. Using contrasting ensembles, Legrenzi evoked many moods in this sonata. My favorite section was one built on a chunky, repetitive bass line.

Even more satisfying for my bass-tuned ears was the ostinato of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber's first “Rosencrantz” (Rosary) sonata. This was the first of the fill-ins to cover Antonini's absence, and it was much appreciated. Onofri's violin sang over the ostinato in seemingly endless variation. To me, it was a perfect representative of the “baroque” paradox — a love of extreme variety, yet in a very constrained world.

The second half of the program included only one piece as intended. It opened with the wonderful surprise of Telemann's concerto for four violins, unaccompanied. This work is another example of “only Telemann could have written it” (one of the reasons I love this composer so much). It gave all four violinists an opportunity to shine, with elaborate ornaments and gorgeous intonation. The Adagio was particularly pleasing, with bizarre harmonies leading the ear on a continuous journey to the final cadence. This gorgeous miniature led to a Vivace on a hunting theme, a delightful romp.

Lutenist Pianca stepped in next for two solos by C.P.E. Bach, the godson of Telemann. Known more as keyboard pieces, they sounded well on the lute. The Largo Affetuoso was particularly affective. My one complaint is that Pianca took “La Caroline” far too fast, which resulted in a blurring of the contrapuntal texture. Resonant lute plus resonant hall equals mush if the tempo is too fast.

The group closed with a Vivaldi concerto for three violins, viola and basso continuo. It was so perky, and so Vivaldi. However, the way Il Giardino rocked it made it a little less boring than I usually find Vivaldi. That was a relief. Cellist Paolo Beschi made light of a difficult bass line, and harpsichordist Riccardo Doni provided a lovely accompaniment on the Italian harpsichord.

Responding to the audience's apparent enthusiasm, the group played two encores, including Pachelbel's Canon. Though this piece is ubiquitous, I can't say I've ever heard a professional ensemble perform it. Again, the dancing moves of Il Giardino made it somewhat interesting, and closing with the Allegro from Vivaldi's “Spring” concerto ensured that the audience would remember this concert for a long time to come..