Italian chamber group played it with bravado

Sunday, January 31, 2010 3:46 AM
By Barbara Zuck
FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Europa Galante, a chamber orchestra from Parma, Italy, created a strong and positive impression in its local debut last night at the Southern Theatre. The performance, presented by Chamber Music Columbus, drew a large crowd that rewarded the ensemble's playing with hearty rounds of applause.

While a little Telemann can go a long way, Europa Galante argued otherwise in two opening concertos and, at concert's end, a dance from an opera as an encore. The group made as much of Telemann's straightforward tunes and orchestrations as one is likely to hear.

Led by conductor and violin soloist Fabio Biondi, the small orchestra played with zesty tempos and an amazingly tight ensemble. This is a group that truly plays as one, while at the same time each performer could be heard and appreciated. The presence of both modern and ancient instruments made both historic and musical sense, and it was a delight to experience the variety of sounds.

Biondi is a highly musical player who seems to be able to mine that quality in his charges. His own solo playing, though, proved surprisingly uneven.

Among the highpoints were the lovely, lilting graziosoin the Telemann A Major Concerto,the strong presence of the theorbo in the Nardini Concertoand the intriguing fugal areas in the Locatelli Concerto Grosso.The inclusion of these lesser-known works added welcome variety to the proceedings.

The chief quibble with the concert was that one sometimes had the sense the group had performed some of these works a few too many times, and could be developing a case of "tour ennui." Moreover, flutist Frank Theuns, soloist in the Telemann Concerto in A Major, disappointed. For whatever reason, his playing failed to emerge from the pack in any convincingly soloistic manner.Otherwise, Europa Galante earned an A-minus, or would that be an E-minus for energy, ensemble and enthusiasm?