ARCADIAN SPRING - MUSICA DA CAMERA

 

Musica Da Camera String Orchestra

John Ma, musical director

Holy Covenant Church, Cook, September 5

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

It might not have looked like spring outside, but Musica Da Camera ensured their concert showed us the promise and glory that the season can offer.

With a thoughtful and apt collection of music works by Bach, Fischer, Scarlatti, Telemann and Vivaldi, this spring concert, directed by Early Music specialist, John Ma, was a delight for the senses.

Violinist, John Ma, gave entertaining and educational information about the chosen works and he was really in fine form with this concert. He could make anyone love baroque music.

The program commenced with Alessandro Scarlatti’s Sinfonia suite from Clori, Dorino e Amore. With harpsichordist, Ariana Odermatt, Ma led the orchestra in a spirited playing of this work with its grand opening, elegant melodies and charming rhythms.

Ariana Odermatt, harpsichordist

Ouverture Burlesque by Georg Philipp Telemann was next. Burlesque in the 18^th century saw music provoke laughter through parody or cartoonish exaggeration. The work provided musical portraits of Commedia del Arte characters such as Scaramouches, Harlequinade, Colombine and Pierrot. Ma’s colourful descriptions of these characters provided a welcome and amusing depth to the music.

John Ma with Musica Da Camera

The orchestra then played Bach’s sparkling Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor. This was a wonderfully clear and graceful playing of this timeless work. In three movements, Ma and the orchestra excelled with a particularly beautiful and sensitive playing of the central Andante. It was the highlight of the concert.

The next work, Vivaldi’s Concerto for Strings in B-flat major (Conca) was inspired by the strings mimicking the resonant blasts of a conch shell. It was a good example of the Baroque era’s spirit of experimentation and everyone clearly had fun playing it.

Johann Fischer, a German composer, was a good choice for spring with his 3^rd Suite from Le Journal du Printemps. The elegance of the French Court style blended with the contrapuntal traditions of German music and this fine work was very well played.

Telemann’s Excerpts from Die Satyn in Arcadien was the final work on the program. The introduction was rhythmic and full of atmosphere and the dances in the second half were witty, colourful and rousing. They were played with gusto and skill by Ma and the orchestra. By the end, there was definitely a feeling of spring in the air.

 

Photos by Dalice Trost

 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 6 September 2026.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.

Len Power also presents the weekly Concert Hall program on Artsound FM, playing recordings of some of the best concerts from in and around Canberra. Concert Hall can be heard on Sundays at 8pm and is repeated on Wednesdays at 2pm.