Early music opener evokes the craziness of love
By Jay Harvey
Posted: June 27, 2009
Indianapolis Star

The throes of romantic love knock lovers into something close to madness, and plenty of music in simpler times than ours addressed such perennial ills.

But, from the 17th century to our own, there's been slim promise of a musical remedy. The best we can hope for is to be delighted by creative approaches to the problem. That's what Reconstruction offered a large audience at the Basile Opera Center on Friday night as the all-female quintet opened the Indianapolis Early Music Festival.

Henry Purcell's "Bess of Bedlam" was the keystone of a magnificent arch of love songs, more picturesque, beguiling and elaborate than most modern examples. Then again, how appropriate an a cappella rendition of Willie Nelson's "Crazy" by the group's three sopranos proved to be right after "Bess of Bedlam."

Nell Snaidas sang the fevered words of the title character as the other two, Laura Heimes and Elizabeth Ronan-Silva, divided the text's commentary between them, including these lines: "Poor Bess will return to the place when she came / Since the world is so mad she can hope for no cure."

That could well have served as a motto for the program's vocal pieces, which predominated. True, the instrumental selections shouldn't be overlooked: harpsichordist Holly Chatham's subtly inflected Frescobaldi toccata, cellist Joanna Blendulf's crisply articulated yet flowing ricercar by Battista degli Antonii, plus the full quintet's bravura reading of two Spanish dances.

But vocalized love-as-sickness ruled the selections, framed by Francesca Caccini's "Chi desia," appropriately the concert's one showcase for a female composer. The words, even if Caccini didn't write them, exemplify a woman's cannier perspective on the risks of love and the temptation to avoid it altogether.

As vividly as the words carried the theme forward, the singing (with pertinent theatrical gestures) put the point across best. Ronan-Silva's "Gelosia," by Luigi Rossi, etched every phrase expertly. When jealousy is said to "twist your way into my heart," the vocal line became a corkscrew. When jealousy is scolded for poisoning the lover's mind, Ronan-Silva applied apt nasality to her pure tone. And she draped prickly garlands of notes over the word "gelosia" to end the song.

The women's voices blended flawlessly in the duets and trios, including a poignant contemporary setting by Karen Hansen (who will be heard in tonight's concert with Ex Umbris) of an Emily Dickinson poem. Heimes and Snaidas reveled in the obsessive yearning of Monteverdi's "Tornate, o cari baci" (Return, dear kisses), whose repetitions of "baci" suggested at least a PG-13 rating.

 

TimeOut New York
reconstruction
The Cutting Room

In New York's concert-music community, strict lines are too easily drawn between various audiences: There are “New music people,” “opera lovers,” “Baroque nuts” and so on; seldom, if ever, do these separate populations meet. reconstruction, a bicoastal ensemble making its New York debut at the Cutting Room, is working to bridge these gaps. The group--harpsichordist Holly Chatham, soprano and guitarist Nell Snaidas, cellist Joanna Blendulf and soprano Catherine Webster--combines Baroque period pieces with newly penned scores, in the context of a relaxed, thematically linked and semi-theatrical presentation.

If the mix seems unlikely at first, in may ways, early music and new music have always been well matched. While today's composers have been weaned on the “great classical tradition,” many are more profoundly influenced by the motor rhythms, chromatic harmonies and tightly structured forms of Baroque music. Unlike the Classical and Romantic eras, neither the Baroque nor the present day assign absolute prominence to a composer's ironclad script; interpretation requires the input and vision of the performers.

In reconstruction's case, interpretation also includes audience-friendly, occasionally laugh-out-loud funny antics that serve to heighten, rather than distract from, the musical experience. The latest production, titled “Bedlam, Back and Beyond,” juxtaposes theater composer Karen Hansen's a cappella setting of Emily Dickinson's “Heart! We will forget Him!” (in its premiere performance) with florid classics by Monteverdi and Purcell. The show promises to update the troubadour tradition into an experience custom-designed for the adventurous concertgoer.

 

San Francisco Classical Voice

"Music in the Vineyards offered a refreshing departure from tradition by presenting the debut concert of reconstruction, an all-female Baroque ensemble with a "Go for it" style. The sold-out performance, titled "Bedlam, Back and Beyond," was held at the Silverado Winery on Saturday night. Focusing on vocal and instrumental works of the seventeenth century, the players opened with a fiery canzonetta by Francesca Caccini and continued to dazzle their audience with musical intelligence and wit.

There was a touch of theater throughout the evening. The ensemble was as tight as a skilled jazz group - each voice and instrument being equally important, dripping with personality and moving together as one. But a rarer aspect of their presentation struck me: I had never heard classically trained singers accompany themselves instrumentally, and so effectively. The guitars were only used for a handful of pieces but the percussive strumming added a touch of Flamenco to a sound that was already electric. The result was pure synchronicity. Through acting, gestures and creative use of stage space, they presented songs of love and longing with affable humor and classy sensuality.

Soprano Nell Snaidas, known for her performance of zarzuelas in North America and Mexico, played a small Renaissance guitar and was powerfully at home with Latin-flavored works by Caccini and Monteverdi. Her expressive style made me feel as though I understood every Italian word. When Catherine Webster sang, it was as if a warm, colorful blanket had been wrapped around the audience. She performed Purcell's "O solitude" with an air of sophistication, and "One charming night" with exquisite timing and lusty passion. Elizabeth Ronan-Silva's dramatic presentation of Luigi Rossi's "Gelosia" so thrilled the audience that their applause brought the program to a halt. A poised and confident player, cellist Joanna Blendulf approached her solo work with fire. She brought a distinctively vocal character to the ricercar by G. Battista degli Antoni, deftly jumping between the high and low voices of the cello. Her strength is impressive, but the sparkling sound she draws from a pianissimo is truly artistic.

Holly Chatham's continuo realizations were perfect in their simplicity, adding just the right touch while never intruding on a soloist's line. Her interpretation of Girolamo Frescobaldi's complex Toccata Prima from Book One was elegantly florid. An artful coup was a new work by Karen Hansen who set Emily Dickinson's poetry against rich, vaguely Balkan harmonies. Bringing to a close this program of lost love, the group presented a hilarious rendition of Purcell's "Bess of Bedlam," which segued into "Crazy," a signature tune of country singer Patsy Cline. Chatham's Andrews-Sisters-style arrangement left us with a point well taken; musical inspiration and passions of the heart have not changed a bit since 1600.

Following 90 minutes of music without pause, the sexy and grounded female energy of this ensemble left the audience saying "I can't believe it's over already!" It was revitalizing."

 

Azteca 21
April 20, 2005 (Benjamín Solís)

RECONSTRUCTION SHINES IN SAN LUIS POTOSI

A Quintet That Possesses A Creative Force

In their musical program, which was part of the Festival de San Luis, the American quintet RECONSTRUCTION called attention to Baroque and Contemporary music. This group of young women possesses the virtuosity to play original instruments and sing with voices that give distinguished interpretations of Baroque compositions. In addition, the group has the quality to dazzle the public with every type of repertory of chamber music, including contemporary composers.

RECONSTRUCTION is not only unlike any other ensemble, it's one that is truly excellent, and presents a perfect and diverse program: “Chi desia”, “Amanti a giocare”, “L´onda che limpida”, “Xacara”, “Vestiva hi colli”, “Gelosia”, “Recercar” as well as other pieces. This quintet also has the power to create fusion.

Indeed, the group doesn't conform to only playing classical music, it breaks beyond and shows its great capacity to adapt genres, without diminishing their clear concepts or ephemeral proposals, they successfully achieve musical fusion. This is the other side of RECONSTRUCTION, the name represents the reinvention of two musical epochs, the result is a true marriage of Baroque and Contemporary music.

RECONSTRUCTION's members are Nell Snaidas, soprano and Renaissance guitar; Catherine Webster, soprano; Joanna Blendulf, Baroque cello; Holly Chatham harpsichord; and guest artist Elizabeth Ronan-Silva, soprano and Baroque guitar.