CIARAMELLA, “Renaissance Winds,” Vieve Gore Concert Hall, Westminster College, Feb. 4
Having a concert of 15th century music on the heels of the recent discovery of the remains of England’s 15th century King Richard III was a fortunate, although completely coincidental, coming together of history and art. But it did put the music that the group Ciaramella played at Monday’s Westminster College concert into a broader perspective. This was the type of music that Richard III would have heard and been familiar with. Music for shawms and sackbuts was as common in the 1400s as music for their modern equivalents – oboes and trombones, respectively – is today. But the sound these early instruments make is foreign to modern ears. That’s why it can be difficult to embrace this music.
But Ciaramella makes it fun. They bring a sense of history to the works they play, but their concerts aren’t dry academic exercises. They bring the music of the renaissance to life. A concert by Ciaramella is a delightful and entertaining excursion to a bygone era.
And the five members of the group obviously enjoy what they’re doing. For them this music is as much alive today as it was in Richard III’s time – and that attitude and approach are what set them apart from many other early music ensembles.
The program at Monday’s concert ranged from pieces by the early 15th century composer Guillaume Dufay to Tielman Susato, who lived about a century later. The group also played two pieces by co-founder Adam Gilbert, who writes so cleverly that his pieces can’t be distinguished from works actually written during the renaissance.
But in truth the composers’ names don’t matter. What does matter is that Ciaramella plays this music with conviction and expressiveness and makes it accessible for contemporary audiences. One certainly can’t ask for more.