Festival review: His Majesty’s Sagbutts & Cornetts/Concert Palatino; Greyfriars Kirk

By KEN WALTON
Published on 14/08/2012 15:23

IT MAY not possess the cavernous galleries and ringing acoustics of St Mark’s in Venice, but what we did gain from this programme of music by Giovanni Gabrieli – one of the hugely famous roll call of former maestro di cappella of the iconic Venetian basilica – in the more homely austerity of Greyfriars Kirk was a genuine sense of intimacy and clarity.

As the opener to this year’s series of early evening Greyfriars concerts, the intention was to mark the 400th anniversary of Gabrieli’s death. And in the space of a very pleasant hour, the joint cornett and sackbut players of Concerto Palatino and His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts served up a seamless programme of assorted canzoni and sonatas that did full justice to Gabrieli’s genius.

Sure, there was recurring evidence of that sense of basic formula which characterises the late Venetian Baroque sound. But a sequence of works that moved with silken ease between 4, 7, 8 or the full complement of ten players (plus two supportive organists), and which embraced the wholesome pleasure of the Canzon prima toni a 10 and the intimate virtuosity of Sonata XXI con tre violini with equal sensitivity and finesse, also revealed the unmistakably immaculate craftsmanship of Gabrieli’s arty.

The warm, clean acoustics served to amplify the perfect intonation of the joint ensembles. A bit of Venice came alive in Edinburgh.

Rating: * * * *