I was intrigued by Gesualdo’s music especially in terms of chromaticism and unexpected dissonances. My favorite text is the eighth of the “Tenebrae Responsories.” I really felt that the bassists captured the essence of the following text: “Posuerunt me in lacu inferiori / in tenebrosis et umbra mortis”-”They laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness and in the shadow of death.” Gesualdo’s use of the bass in correlation to the text (in this case the pit) is moving.

The concert with the Talis Scholars was a unique concert in the Maverick and Renegade Series at UMS. It was that because the music we heard was by far the oldest music in this concert row. The place in which the event took place was the catholic church. This place is the best place this music can actually performed as all the music stems from catholic composers. One thing I am thinking could have been deliberated: to turn of lights so that the audience sits in the dark so that oneself is alone with the music. This would have given me a more intense experience I think. The performernce was very clear and I could hear the phrasing very clearly. It was a very satiesfying evening as a whole.

Traveling

Last night’s Tallis Scholars concert: Gesualdo and a raft of Renaissance composers, all of them edgy, bold, melancholy in their way. (Director Peter Phillips, introducing the encore: “These renegades—they’re a sad lot.”) The subtle, unexpected shifts in tone, an almost imperceptible slide down the scale—Glass’s minimalism four-hundred years before Glass? Consonance blurring into dissonance, and vice versa. What is the vocabulary of these composers? It seems worth asking—in the same way that Wayne McGregor spoke at yesterday’s Stamps lecture of a choreographer’s vocabulary, by which he means the particular language he or she invents to convey ideas and images. True of Wilson and Glass and Messiaen, even of the annoying Landau. You enter a space—a literal performance space, the figurative intellectual and/or emotional space of the creator’s mind—and the language changes. McGregor suggests dance pieces need to be seen more than once in order to “acclimatize yourself” to their universe. Ditto music—you need to hear it at least twice. (Is this true of narrative spectacles—plays—as well? Or unique to the non-narrative and abstract?) We’ve talked in clichéed ways of the Renegade series as a “journey,” but the cliché turns out to have its verities. There’s an itinerary, with scheduled stops, rather like a cruise through multiple countries. Ask yourself with each one: What and how do they speak here? What sort of currency do they trade in? How do they dress? What makes them comfortable? What’s the weather like? What are the rituals? How eagerly to they accommodate strangers? Do you need a passport? A guide? A translator?

The intonation and resonance of sound associated with the pureness of sound provided a unique experience for me. Even with such a large space to fill, I did not struggle to hear the different parts as well as the clarity of sounds, words, and cut offs. Overall the musicality was unquestionably glorious and provided for an enjoyable experience. I’m not sure how I feel about the lights. It wasn’t until someone pointed it out to me that I noticed, but even then, it wasn’t a distracting feature. However, it almost made it feel like I didn’t need to focus as much.

The Renaissance music performed by the Tallis Scholars is not a genre of music I typically listen to or focus on. That being said, I found myself quite engaged and entertained hearing it performed beautifully by the Tallis Scholars. The church setting for the performance instead of an auditorium on campus was a great choice; it was nice to draw a connection between the music and its content. The performance was very well done by the Tallis Scholars, and the church filled with sound quite majestically. I enjoyed noting moments of expression and word painting in the renegades’ works and thoroughly enjoyed my time at the concert!

I understand the historical significance and abnormality of Gesualdo, but when you line him up next to the other composers on the program, the difference is lost on my modern ear. It is similar to looking at a number of rooms that are painted white and then saying, “wow…look at that beige one.”

I enjoyed the music and the venue (and the lighting…).