Phantasm concert at Utrecht Early Music Festival 29 August 2012

Phantasm concert at Utrecht Early Music Festival 29 August 2012
30.08.2012 - Hortus Musicus

JOHAN VAN VEEN

In the following concert Phillip’s Pavan and Galliard dolorosa was again on the programme, but this time in an arrangement for viol consort. It closed a beautiful and interesting programme of consort music by contemporaries of Sweelinck performed by Phantasm under the direction of Laurence Dreyfus.
The concert began also with Phillips, the Aria del Gran Duca. Between the two were pieces by Holborne, Byrd and Dering. One of the most beautiful was undoubtedly a Byrd fantasy consisteng of a number of strongly contrasting sections.
Just afterwards was the striking Fantasia no. 6 of Richard Dering, filled with unusual harmonies.
This resembles freely conventional vocal music performed on the viols.
That was also the case with Mass movements by Byrd, a Kyrie and an Agnus dei as well as a hymn Christe redemptor omnium.
Phantasm is one of the most prominent gamba consorts, which has to its credit many beautiful CD recordings. Even now they too care to create absorbing interpretations played with a high degree of concentration and intensity, but also with excitement and panache in the somewhat lighter pieces.