BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Love baroque?
So does Jennifer Kirsner. The violinist and artistic director has founded Genesis Baroque – a fresh Melbourne ensemble dedicated to music of this era.
Along with concertmaster Lucinda Moon (of Australian Brandenburg Orchestra fame) and group of Australia’s leading HIPsters, Jennifer is preparing to present the first of a two-concert season this year. So why did she launch Genesis, anyway?
Let’s find out ahead of this debut performance series, which celebrate 17th and 18th century composition and performance.
You’ve described yourself as Melbourne’s newest period ensemble. Why did you want to start up Genesis Baroque?
I first started thinking about starting a Melbourne-based baroque chamber orchestra on a flight back from Sydney several years ago. I’d been lucky enough to be playing with the wonderful Orchestra of the Antipodes for a Pinchgut Opera season, and I was lamenting the fact that there weren’t opportunities at that time to perform at that calibre in a similar ensemble in Melbourne, and for it to be a more frequent experience.
I thought about some of the incredible musicians that we have here in Melbourne, which is where most of our Genesis performers are based, and suddenly realised that there was an opportunity to put something really special together. I wanted to develop an ensemble that had a consistency in direction and players so that we could really develop an identifiable sound and approach as an ensemble. And I wanted to create the opportunity to challenge and excite players and audiences; to produce those musical moments where there’s a palpable emotional response and energy that transports us collectively. These are the moments I search for as a musician.
Why is Melbourne a suitable city for period music? What’s been your experience with the way audiences engage with this style of music here?
It might sound like a clique, but we are so lucky in Melbourne to have a diverse, curious, and well-educated audience for the performing arts. There’s a creative and exciting approach to performing here, regardless of genre – performers and audiences I think are interested in exploring new ideas (or in the case of period music, learning about old ideas!). And period music is actually so spontaneous and emotive and passionate; so steeped in the context of its time but completely contemporary and relevant. I think it’s something that is a perfect fit for Melbourne.
To me, it’s akin to a really extraordinary performance that you might experience of a Shakespeare play – where the themes and the ‘human affect‘ are so immediately relatable, and they can be placed in a contemporary context so effectively as they remain completely relevant despite being couched in a language that is over 400 years old. I feel like these sorts of experiences are something that Melbourne audiences seek out, understand, and get excited about.
What were the steps you took to start up this group?
It’s definitely been a labour of love! I’ve been tremendously lucky to have a great support base, in our board members, my family, and the musicians involved. Since initially thinking of the idea, I’ve been paying attention to how audiences respond and what they’re drawn to, talked to a lot of musicians, and thought about what musicians want to feel fulfilled and excited about in their work. And I’ve thought a lot about the priorities and values that we want to establish for our own group.
To me, respect and integrity for everyone involved – for the performers, the audience, and the music itself – are absolute musts for producing performances that are engaging, connecting, and rewarding.
I wanted to create a group that enabled each of the musicians to demonstrate and contribute their own expertise and personalities, so that that we develop an ensemble that really speaks from us individually and collectively. In this way, I invited musicians that I find inspiring; who have a true love and enthusiasm for what they do.
Our musical director Lucinda Moon was someone that I approached early on as her musicianship, her skill, and her personal approach are all things that I have admired tremendously for a long time. It is a real honour for me that she has committed so wholeheartedly to Genesis Baroque, and her openness, honesty, scholarship, sensitivity, and true passion for what she does have all contributed to the way we have set up the ensemble.
In terms of our chosen venue, I felt that fortyfivedownstairs provided us with the perfect intimate contemporary space to communicate in the way that I had hoped – to me, it supports the idea of how relevant and contemporary the music is, and allows us a very Melbourne-style blank canvas to curate and perform our programs.
Will you keep HIP practices tightly interwoven with your music?
I sometimes feel that there’s a perception of Historically Informed Performance practice as something that is an intellectual exercise that is restrictive and removed from the essence and integrity of musical expression. For me, it is quite the opposite.
At the heart of the HIP approach is a complete dedication to the idea of rhetoric, and the communication of ‘human affect’. Yes, there are invaluable treatises that you can study for years on bowing styles, phrasing, articulation, gesture, baroque dance, art and literature, etc. But the endless exploration of HIP practice through these elements is always for the purpose of understanding and expressing the heart of the music and its ‘human affect’. I feel that it invites possibilities and spontaneity rather than being prescriptive.
There’s an excitement in that process and a sense of connection to the novelty and raw emotion of the music as it would have been intended and experienced in its day. HIP is certainly not the only way to approach baroque repertoire, but that to me is why HIP is such a rich and wondrous world to explore!
How will Genesis differ from other period ensembles?
My desire for this group has been to challenge and stimulate us as musicians, and provide an opportunity in which we can grow together to develop a unique and unified sound, to have ongoing performance opportunities, to have consistent direction from a musician of the calibre of Lucinda Moon, and to develop a meaningful relationship with our audience as we grow.
We are also chatting with some incredible Australian guest artists living locally and abroad for projects in 2019 and beyond, and we really want to bring these collaborations with our musicians to Melbourne audiences to a develop a sense of pride and connection to our Melbourne home. We want to become a group that is synonymous with the creativity of this city, and I hope that the mix of vibrant programming, intimacy, and connection with audience, fabulous guest artists, and the wonderful calibre of musicianship, skill, and experience in the ensemble is unique and exciting for Melbourne.
And finally……why do you love baroque?
For me, there’s a visceral response that I have, particularly to Bach, that conveys so much that is ineffable in life. Period instruments add to this impact for me because they are so immediately raw, responsive, and expressive. There’s a sense of speaking straight through the instrument that cuts to the heart of musical expression. That to me is the ultimate purpose and craving as a musician, and I’m constantly grateful to have the opportunity to play and listen to music, particularly when it gives me the profound sense of emotional connection and expression that I so often get from baroque repertoire.
Check out Genesis Baroque perform La Serenissima at 6pm April 23, fortyfivedownstairs.
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