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CHAMBER MUSIC REVIEW
March 28, 2004
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By Rebekah Ahrendt
There was a time when a concert presented by the San Francisco Early Music Society might confidently be assumed to consist entirely of early music. Last weekend's concerts by the Yukimi Kambe Viol Consort of Japan, under SFEMS' auspices, showed how much times have changed, even over the course of a few years. The Yukimi Kambe program (heard Sunday, at St. Gregory Nyssa in San Francisco) was full of old favorites, but there were new surprises as well.
After studies in Europe, violist da gamba Yukimi Kambe founded her consort of four viols in 1983. From its inception, the group has been committed to expanding the repertoire for viol consort, frequently commissioning new works and performing in composition competitions for new music. To date they have had nearly eighty new works written for them. The YKVC has thus become expert in teaching composers how to write for a difficult (and largely unfamiliar) instrument like the viol and has even prepared a handbook for composers together with a series of new sheet music publications.
They are not only experts in new music. The first half of the program included some real standards for viol consort as well as a few old friends in new guises. On the standard end, the group chose Charpentier's lovely Concert in d minor. From the melancholy, affective prelude to the lively and light gigue, the consort displayed an intimate knowledge of French musical language. Another old favorite was Purcell's fifth Fantasia, replete with classic Purcellian clashing dissonances.
Yet, these were the only old pieces on the program actually written for the viols. To round out the selection, the YKVC presented a number of works originally written either for voices or for the keyboard. Tenor viol player Eriko Ozawa had a lovely moment in the sun in Ludwig Senfl's “Ich stünd an einem Morgen,” a vocal piece originally featuring the tenor voice. While the bass diminutions for Diego Ortiz' Recercada Secunda sobre “Passamezzo Moderno” were originally written for the viol (and remarkably performed by Kaori Hashizume), the standard keyboard accompaniment was here interpreted by the consort. Their strumming, bowing and percussive knocking provided a lively setting for the dance. Yukimi Kambe herself shone on the highly ornamented chorale tune “O Man, Bemoan thy Grievous Sin” set by Bach in the Little Organ Book. Her melody floated beautifully over the organ-like homogeneity of the viol consort sound. And bassist Maki Noguchi's steadily lovely performance of the chorale tune in Bach's “Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring” contributed to the novel and effective performance of this old favorite. Sunday's selection also featured new favorites from three different composers. David Loeb, who has written extensively for viol consort, was represented by two short pieces. The Cries of Kyoto (1991) takes its inspiration from the city cry genre, most familiarly exemplified by Orlando Gibbons' The Cries of London. As an instrumental piece, however, the sounds of market hawkers and hubbub are represented without speech, instead using melodies heard in the Nishiki market in Kyoto. Amidst the flurry of quick-noted marketeers, long tones representing the temple bell were occasionally heard, making fine use of the viol's potential bell-like tone. Loeb's Fantasia Tohoku (1991) features melodies from the north of Japan treated contrapuntally in the manner of a Renaissance fantasia. The joyful character of the piece is greatly supported by a catchy rhythmic accompaniment drummed out on the body of the tenor viol. One of the most pleasant surprises of the afternoon was a work entitled Sang Hwa by young Japanese composer Yoko Sato. Sato fully exploits the capacity for the viols, including chordal passages, strumming, various other pizzicato techniques and a variety of bowings, all expertly executed by the consort. Her melodic vocabulary, coupled with the extended instrumental techniques, creates an Asian atmosphere, evoking images of a koto played in a peaceful garden, especially in the second movement.
The YKVC premiered Ryohei Hirose's Suite for Noble Cats at the Berkeley Early Music Festival in 1990. It made yet another US appearance this afternoon, much to the audience's delight. As the name implies, the work is loosely based on a baroque-style dance suite, but performed by a collection of mewing, growling and purring cats. How noble these cats might be is questionable, as at least one spat erupted per movement. One of the more vicious catfights broke out in the nocturnal Scherzo misterioso, to be resolved in the weaving dance of catnip-induced euphoria suggested by the Gavotte. Especially in the last movement, the members of the YKVC displayed a great sense of fun and freedom, collectively varying their tempo and visibly enjoying themselves. Despite the frequent tuning breaks typical of a viol consort on a warm day, the group impeccably performed a challenging and pleasurable selection of pieces. The shining professionalism of the consort, down to their complementary Japanese-inspired dresses, was a joy to watch. And to listen to — they played a total of three encores at Sunday's concert, including a spicy tango.
(Rebekah Ahrendt holds the Artist's Diploma in viola da gamba and historical performance practice from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague (NL). Currently, she is a graduate student in historical musicology at the University of California, Berkeley.)
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