Music / “Based on Bach”, Thoroughbass. At Wesley Music Centre, August 27. Reviewed by ROB KENNEDY.

INSPIRED by the legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach, six of his “Two-part Inventions” and other works act as a catalyst for Elena Kats-Chernin and Katia Tiutiunnik’s inventions in this concert titled “Based on Bach”.

Diana Weston, harpsichord, and Joanne Arnott on recorders performing at Wesley Music Centre made up the players in Thoroughbass for this concert.

It began with Johann Sebastian Bach’s, “Two-part Inventions Nos. 8, 4, 13, 1, 6, 10”. The beauty in these short inventions lies in how the motives move and change shape while keeping a uniform idea in place. When played on a harpsichord, a listener can hear every note as opposed to a piano version with its greater resonance, especially when the sustain pedal is used. The musical ideas sit forefront in each composition, and there are many delightful concepts played out in the six inventions performed.

With Arnott on recorders for the Elena Kats-Chernin “Reinventions Nos. 1-6”, (based on Bach’s two-part ‘Inventions’) could be described as Bach-inspired pieces, but of course, they had a contemporary setting. The first was filled with a lovely floating and playful tune on the recorder as the harpsichord rushed along through its many notes. A highly enjoyable work that was performed with a genuine feeling for the piece.

No. 2, for tenor recorder, was a work full of effect to begin with before a darkish tone took over. After Bach’s “Invention No. 4, in D minor”, this tricky work went through several stylistic changes but maintained its dark tone throughout.

No. 3, back on the descant, sounded a little like a complex folk tune, yet mysterious. Numbers 4,5 and 6 followed the inventive and melodic themes with many tricky additions, all performed strongly and with great style.

Bach’s “Sonata in C minor”, for recorder and obbligato harpsichord “BWV 1030, Andante, Largo e dolce, Presto/Allegro” with Arnott on alto recorder, demonstrated the passion Bach had for polyphonic composition, which is best represented in “The Art of the Fugue” and the “Goldberg Variations”

This sonata captures Bach in a nutshell. While a couple of times the alto recorder wasn’t doing everything Arnott wanted, in the many thousands of notes performed by both players, they made it sound refreshingly clear over the four movements. 

For the final work, it was a very new piece. It was so new that only two of the three movements were able to be performed. With the romantic-sounding title of “Illuminada: Três Reflexões sobre Fátima” (Illuminated: Three Reflexions on Fatima) for recorder and harpsichord by Katia Tiutiunnik, the two works performed mesmerised in their style and beauty.

The storyline in this music begins in a melancholic mood, then moves on to happy music.

The doleful sounds that set the mood for the first piece, “I. Sombras dos Segredos” (Shadows of Secrets), moved through several styles. While sounding ancient, like early lyre music, this gorgeous composition transcended music. Contemplative, yet highly coloured, it spoke of another time and it did it with conviction.

The second piece in this trilogy, “II. Rainha Resplandecente” (Resplendent Queen), for descant recorder, brought in a lighter and more playful tune. A slight slip-up never stopped the piece from maintaining its ancient and striking style. This reviewer can’t wait to hear the rest of this work and the wonderful sounds of Thoroughbass again in Canberra.