"Fiamme e Lagrime" - early 17th Italian music probed and performed by Liron Givoni and Guy Pardo in an on-line concert from Jerusalem

Liron Givoni (U.Elkayam)

Guy Pardo (courtesy GP)

 

“Fiamme e Lagrime” (Flames and Tears) could refer to almost any Italian piece of music. In this case, it was the title of a concert on March 2nd, 2021, focusing on vocal and instrumental music from early 17th century Italy. Performed by Liron Givoni-soprano and Guy Pardo-harpsichord, the event,  under the auspices of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura (Italian Cultural Institute), Israel, was live-streamed from the Uberto Nahon Museum of Italian Jewish Art, Jerusalem. Introducing and closing the event was Ms. Paola Dal Lago of the Haifa Istituto Italiano di Cultura. Speaking in Italian, Dr. Fabio Ruggirello, director of the Tel Aviv IIC and acting director of the IIC in Haifa, welcomed viewers and gave information on the program and artists. Both artists also gave an overview of the style of the works.

 

In 1615, Girolamo Frescobaldi referred to madrigals being written at this time as “modern”. This concept might sound incongruous to today’s listeners, but Pardo explained that the new style referred to, “used most prominently by Claudio Monteverdi and frowned upon by many others”, being monodic rather than polyphonic, gave rise to more rhythmic freedom, to speech-like expression and daring dissonances. These devices reinforced the style’s rhetorical and emotional elements as inspired by the verbal texts being set to music. Indeed, in his preface to “Toccate e partite d'intavolatura di cimbalo et organo”, Frescobaldi compares the manner of performing his keyboard works to the delivery of the "modern madrigals”! It was this standpoint that prompted Givoni and Pardo to put together this concert program, one juxtaposing a selection of Frescobaldi’s harpsichord pieces with a number of  madrigals by Caccini, D’India, Rovetta, Frescobaldi and Monteverdi. 

 

Enhanced attentively and imaginatively by Pardo’s playing, Givoni’s performance of the madrigals bristled with fast-flowing dramatic twists and turns, these ranging from expressions of anger, despair, heartbreak and mystery to ardent and tender feelings. Her fine command of Italian and her fresh, richly-coloured and well-anchored soprano voice, her use of ornamentation and easeful interweaving of melismatic passages, made for genuine and convincing reading of each word and gesture, as she took the listener with her on the rollercoaster rides of powerful Italian emotions. 

 

So, how were the capricious, erratic mood changes of the madrigals to be translated into Frescobaldi’s keyboard pieces? The spoken content would, of course, be absent. However, performing the pieces on a G.Klop harpsichord, Pardo highlighted the personal aspect of this music, bringing out the affects, as noted in Frescobaldi’s treatise, the artist’s approach melding these with embellishments, freedom of tempo and rhythmic freedom. Engaging in this unique music’s expressive figuration and audacious progressions, he convincingly met the challenge of using vocal music as the model for emulation. The pieces all use the typically Italian construction of small contrasting segments. Under Pardo’s fingers, each fleeting scenario seemed to arise from- or react to the former. Pardo’s artistry, his sense of perspective and virtuosity infused each work with an air of musical adventure, with the listener perched at the edge of his seat eager to meet each new and unpredictable contexture.

 

The lavish decor of the Uberto. Nahon Museum of Italian Jewish Art was a fitting setting for this high-quality and inspirational recital.

 

Born in Tel Aviv to a family of musicians, Liron Givoni is a graduate of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. With a wide range of repertoire, from Baroque- to contemporary music, she has performed in opera, also as a soloist and ensemble member both in Israel and Germany.  In 2019, she soloed in the “Clown-X” production at the Acre Theatre Festival and took part in the Jerusalem Opera’s production of “Così fan tutte”. She is a founding member of the Nari Baroque Ensemble.

A graduate of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Guy Pardo holds degrees in harpsichord, physics and musicology. As a pianist, he has soloed with orchestras and engaged in chamber music. As a harpsichordist, he plays continuo and accompanies students at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. A founding member of the Nari Baroque Ensemble, he is currently pursuing master’s degrees in harpsichord and physics.