Filament presents Consorts Reframed

Filament almost fits the definition of a broken consort in its usual configuration: Evan Few on the baroque violin, Elena Kauffman playing a viola da gamba, and John Walthuasen at the harpsichord. To form a traditional broken consort, they invited three superb colleagues to perform with them in a varied program of short works that exuded a delicately earthy flavor. Héloïse Degrugillier, playing recorder and flute, was borrowed from Piffaro; Kevin Payne played the lute and its impressively long-necked cousin, the theorbo; while Anna O’Connell did double duty as harpist and soprano in two delectable solos.

A dynamic balance

Remarkably, this sextet managed to find a dynamic balance that made it possible to hear the character of each instrument distinctly, especially at moderate volume levels (the sound of the harp did get lost in louder passages, although the added body it provided was still present). The textures woven by the blending of plucked strings on the harp and the theorbo and bowed strings on the violin and gamba were particularly beguiling.

And about that harp: for those used to seeing the instrument on a concert stage with a symphony orchestra, O’Connell’s looked petite, and lacking pedals. Yet historically, as she explained to the audience, it was a large version in its day, known as a triple harp, because it consists of three rows of strings, such that the harpist has to reach through the outer layer of strings to play the middle layer. She showcased the hauntingly beautiful tone of the instrument in the Harp Consort no. 4 by William Lawes (an early 17th-century composer), a work that came off as a compact concerto.

O’Connell’s vocal contributions came in two sizes, with an extended song by John Dowland, Flow, my tears, probably the best-known music on the program, for which she accompanied herself on the harp as her fellow musicians and the audience raptly attended her sweetly modulated rendition. A work by 16th-century composer Clement Woodcock included a brief vocal passage that referred to a summer vision of green leaves and brown nuts, words that elicited a wistful chuckle from concertgoers who braved arctic temperatures and clambered over mountains of icy snow to get to the event.

Ambiance and acoustics

At the center of the program was an unusual suite forged by Filament’s erudite core members, with music by 17th-century composer Matthew Locke surrounding a newly commissioned work by Benjamin C.S. Boyle, a much-admired Philadelphia composer. Boyle’s lyrical music, consisting of three sections modelled after baroque forms (Loure, Sarabande, Rigaudon), mirrored the rhythmic patterns of the older fare, but punched it up with contemporary harmonies. The effect was clever without being the least bit gimmicky, and was even somewhat edifying. The dissonances that Boyle spiced his material with could be gleaned in the baroque music as well, such as in the eerily expressive Aire at the end of William Lawes’s Suite no. 2.

The exquisite care and concentration that Filament and their guests brought to this program were amplified by the shabby chic ambience of Fleisher Art Memorial in the Bella Vista neighborhood, surely one of the most remarkable interior spaces in Philadelphia. Filament has performed here before, and seems quite comfortable in the room. It is no small thing, as modest ensembles like Filament are always on the hunt for good venues, that the acoustics of the sanctuary allow the gossamer tone of the period instruments to bloom in an especially compelling way. Perhaps the trio should call it home.

At top: The Filament ensemble for Consorts Reframed at the Fleischer Art Memorial. (Photo by Rebecca Myers.)