Bassenthwaite Festival of Baroque Music, St Bega’s and St John’s Churches
ST BEGA’S Church was full for the opening concert of this year’s Bassenthwaite Festival of Baroque music. The beautifully balanced programme began and ended with trio sonatas by Dietrich Buxtehude in which the three performers, Magdalena Loth-Hill (violin), Ed Pendrous (cello) and festival director David Gibbs (harpsichord, organ), responded to each other’s playing, sharing their obvious enjoyment with the audience. Buxtehude featured in the programme again with two Chaconnes for organ, played with delight and dexterity by David. The highlight of the evening for me was the Telemann Fantasia for solo violin, in which Magdalena drew such warmth of tone from the gut strings on her violin of 1680, while her bow skipped so lightly across the strings that I can only describe the result as virtuosic and thrilling.
In the next day's final concert, the ten voices, strings and continuo of Ensemble Buxtehude came together in impressive blend under David’s direction, first in two contrasting cantatas by Buxtehude, and in Reinhard Keiser's St Mark Passion. Every voice took a solo part, as well as providing the choruses and chorales, reflecting the versatility of this Ensemble.
Sadly, this was the last BassFest with David, such a friendly festival, with obvious rapport between director, performers and audiences.
IAN WRIGHT and DOUGLAS COOK
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