Storm Bert may have been causing havoc outside, but there was nothing uncontrolled about Charlotte Spruit’s performance at The Dome Corn Exchange on November 24.
Spruit started with a real flourish, playing the Passagio Rotto by the early baroque violin virtuoso Nicola Matteis. This was a solo tour de force, full of dramatic flourishes and expressive lines, played with great accuracy, skill and real sensitivity.
At the end of the Matteis, Spruit segued seamlessly into a sparkling rendition of J S Bach’s E minor Sonata for violin and continuo (BWV 1023). In this work she was joined by Tom Foster (harpsichord), Sergio Bucheli (lute) and Johnny Byers (cello).
Striking throughout this item was the stylistic integrity of the players. Period customs – ornaments and so on – were never imposed artificially but seemed to stem from a deep understanding and appreciation of the repertoire.
Finishing the first half was a work by another violin virtuoso, the Dresden-born Johann Paul von Westhoff. La Guerra, like the Passagio Rotto, is a piece designed to showcase virtuosity.
In Spruit’s hands it certainly did that. Following the interval, the musicians played another work ostensibly by Bach, his Sonata for violin and continuo in C Minor (BWV 1024).
Here Spruit’s musicality was particularly evident in the sensitive interplay between her impeccably performed solo line and the responses of the other musicians.
The last billed item was a selection of works from Matteis’s Ayers for the violin. In these pieces instrumental interaction was even more evident – the violinist almost challenging the cellist to keep pace with her!
The substantial and enthusiastic audience were rewarded with a delightful pizzicato- only encore by von Westhoff. Witty and playful, it was a fitting conclusion to a great concert.
