Miriam Allan & Ironwood Sydney Review

City Recital Hall, Sydney Monday 6th April

FINELY TUNED AND UTTERLY LOVELY

IT IS hard to imagine an ugly sound ever coming from Miriam Allan. Even if she were yelling at the dog, it would be sweet and persuasive. Singing Purcell and Handel, the noise she makes is consistently lovely. So lovely that it is almost a relief when she takes up the microphone and cracks a couple of jokes about last week's power outages, which were responsible for this concert being rescheduled. She is human, after all.

Miriam Allan and Ironwood, an ensemble of some of Australia's leading baroque specialists, have been touring Australia for Musica Viva with a program celebrating the music of Henry Purcell (born 1659) and George Frideric Handel (died 1759).

It is a finely tuned offering, in every sense of the word. The first half is a beautifully constructed medley of Purcell's theatre, dance and vocal music, full of the theatrical spirit of the masque. Fairest Isle from King Arthur is delivered with warmth and a stately lilt, the chaconne from The Fairy Queen drives the action forward with infectious enthusiasm, and in Music For A While Allan creeps in, reedy and mysterious, before letting the richer tones of her voice resonate.

Throughout the proceedings the classy continuo team of Kirsty McCahon on bass, Neal Peres Da Costa on harpsichord and Daniel Yeadon on viola da gamba provide the musical lifeblood of rhythm and bass.

The second half is all Handel's, starting with a seamless performance of his Trio Sonata in G Major, Op. 5 No. 4, followed by Silete Venti. Despite this being a sacred cantata, the performers maintain a strong sense of drama; Allen's first utterance, "Silete" or "silence", is arresting, while the aria Date serta fades tantalisingly to nothing. It is only in the final Alleluia that Allan unleashes a few overtly virtuosic flourishes: the entire concert has been a display of vocal and instrumental virtuosity, but the standard of perfection is so consistent that it never draws attention to itself. This is setting a high bar indeed.

Sydney Morning Herald
Written by Harriet Cunningham
8 April 2009