Music / Afternoon Hours, Apeiron Baroque. At Wesley Uniting Church, June 7. Reviewed by SARAH BYRNE.

I can’t keep calling John Ma “irrepressible”, for heaven’s sake, but what better word is there?

Violinist Ma, with partner Marie Searle (expert on keys ancient and modern) are the founders and backbone of Apeiron Baroque, a modern ensemble playing Early Music with a latter-day vibe. Baroque music, played on instruments with a more limited dynamic range than their modern equivalents, has a reputation for beauty but austerity, and in less joyful hands can be a little samey. The unbridled enthusiasm of this particular ensemble always dispatches that concern, and is tremendously engaging.

The concert was entitled Afternoon Hours, referencing the opening pieces, excerpts from two of Brentner’s concertos from Horae Pomeridiae. The allegro from Concerto 4 was precise and pretty, featuring some lovely work from Sally Walker on period flute, the Largo and Menuet mellow and soothing.  The allegro from Concerto 6, to the contrary, evoked that Sunday afternoon anxiety of having to go back to work tomorrow and still not having done any laundry.

Telemann next (Ma throwing a little shade at Bach en route) – a Trio for Flute, viola d’amore and continuo, and another charming piece, if perhaps lacking a scrap of momentum in the third movement. This was followed by Royer’s L’Aimable, a lilting, tender piece beautifully performed by Searle on solo harpsichord, segueing directly into the whole ensemble with Sammartini’s Sinfonia in F major. Apeiron gave us their best here, with some rich dynamics reminiscent of Handel (even Mozart) for a chirpy Presto, mournful Andante, and an exuberant Allegro Assai featuring a cheeky (psych!) false coda the audience loved.

Ma and Walker then gave us a delightful Boismortier Sonata for Violin and Flute, and were so perfectly matched that I thought of Fred and Ginger – completely complementary, neither upstaging the other, each adding lustre to their counterpart. Next we had the whole ensemble back for Apeiron favourite composer Graupner (and a little more shade for Bach). Violin and flute starred again for the opening Vivace, with some brilliant runs and trills by Walker, with that interplay returning in the last, assertive Allegro movement, the ensemble achieving a remarkably full and rich sound throughout.

Pandolfi’s vignette La Viniciolina followed, for violin, harpsichord and bass, lachrymose and excited in turns, with a gypsy feel, romantic through to it’s insistent, upbeat conclusion.  The whole ensemble close with Vivaldi’s Allegro from RV107 – portentous and a little bellicose, with some interesting almost percussive effects from the strings, and a gorgeous, impassioned and non-canonical flourish from Brad Tham on viola to bring us home.

Apeiron never fails to entertain. Douglas Adams described the Sunday afternoon hours as “the long, dark tea-time of the soul”. Well, here’s your panacea.

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