Trio HANTAÏ - baroque chamber music, Taipei 2016/11/26

Time: 2016/11/26, 19:30-21:30 (approximately)
Venue: Recital Hall, National Concert Hall, Taipei
Sponsor: Taiwan Early Music Society and Formosa Baroque Ensemble
Performers:
Jérôme Hantaï (Viola da Gamba)
Marc Hantaï (Baroque Flute)
Pierre Hantaï (Harpsichord)

Program:

Composer	Years	Work	Years	Comparisons
Jacques-Martin Hotteterre "Le Romain"	1674-1763	Pièces pour la flûte traversiere, livre I, Op.2 No. 1 in D	1708	Philippe Allain-Dupré (Flute), Yasuko Uyama-Bouvard (Harpsichord), Philippe Pierlot (Viol)
Jean-Marie Leclair	1697-1764	Sonata Op. 2 No. 8 in D, for flute/violin, viol and b.c.	1728	unidentified (1:05:21), Kuijken et al, (on similar pieces)
Marin Marais	1656-1762	Pièces de viole, Livre II, Suite No.8 in A	1701	Pierre Hantaï et. al.,
Johann Sebastian Bach	1685-1750	Trio sonata in G for 2 flutes and b.c., BWV 1039 (version for flute, viola da gamba and basso continuo)	1736-41	Jean-Claude Gérard et. al., Pahud / Pinnock
Jean-Philippe Rameau	1656-1762	Pièces de clavecin en concerts: La Laborde from RCT 8, La Timide from RCT 9, La Marais from RTC 11	1741	Leonhardt, Brüggen, Kuijken & Kuijken

Thoughts:
I have admired Pierre Hantaï's harpsichord performance for years, treasuring especially his 1992 recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations. His ongoing project of recording all keyboard music of Domenico Scarlatti has received universal acclaim. It was therefore really exciting for me to be able to hear him with his brothers Marc and Jérôme in concert.

And what a lovely concert it was! I only felt a bit restless during Bach's BWV 1039, transcribed from two flutes to flute + viol. (Perhaps I was too used to hearing it in two flutes?) Marc H's baroque flute seemed to take a while to warm up and the beginning of Hotteterre had problems with intonation and breath control. There was also a small problem with balance in Hotteterre, where the flute was often overpowered by the viol. Other than that, the concert was pure delight. I was particularly impressed by their Leclair and Rameau and wished there was a concert devoted entirely to Rameau's Pièces de Clavecin en Concerts. Not since I heard of the classic recording by Rousset et. al. have I heard of such a fine performance! It was a pity that they only programmed 3 pieces out of 15 in five suites (RCT 7-11). For encores, Hantaï brothers played another piece from Ramea's Pièces de Clavecin en Concerts, followed by a piece by François Couperin (le grande).

Thank you, friends in Taiwan Early Music Society and Formosa Baroque Ensemble, for making this concert possible!(*) If there is any concert by the Formosa Ensemble in the near future, I am going!

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(*) Unfortunately, Ping has other plans and can not go to the Sunday recital.