Le Concert de Montreal

"Le Concert de Montreal" a group of early music specialists from McGill University in Montreal, delight their Bangkok audience

Siam Society. Bangkok, Thailand. May 14, 2012. I'm not a big fan of very early Baroque music of mostly unknown composers, played on period instruments, but based on what I heard from a group of six young musicians from Montreal's McGill University, I could easily change my mind. Calling themselves "Le Concert de Montreal," these early music specialists selected a group of eight rather short works from 17^th century composers, who made their home in the Austrian court, although they were either Italian or influenced by Italian music, the earliest being Giovanni Battista Buonamente (b. 1595) and the latest Antonio Caldara (b. 1671). The success of the evening was due in large part to the careful selection of works played, which "Le Concert" performed with fluency and, clearly, a love of this period of music. The second half of the concert was more familiar, a Mozart divertimento and a Haydn string quartet. Prior to the formal concert, which was played without interruption, the group's harpsichordist, gave a detailed account and explanation of the music we were about to hear, which enhanced my enjoyment and appreciation of the music they played so well.