The Taylor Concert series, in collaboration with the Department of Music, welcomed an uplifting performance by Les Délices on Friday night in Brandi Recital Hall. The quartet includes oboist and group director Debra Nagy, cellist and gambist Rebecca Landell, violist Allison Monroe and violinist Shelby Yamin. “The idea behind this program is to give voice to Bohemian composers,” Nagy said of the performance, “One of the things that [Les Délices] finds really interesting in this music in particular is searching for the bit of folk song flying under the surface.”
As each musician took their seat, audience members perused a program booklet with extensive information about each piece of the night and its composer, as well as information about the performers. All four quartet members have extensive backgrounds in baroque music and an admirable list of positive feedback from reputable publications like the New York Times.
For Kenyon’s Taylor Concert Series, the quartet performed three pieces from classic Bohemian composers Franz Krommer, Georg Druschetzky and Johann Baptist Vanhal, before closing the night with Mozart’s astounding Quartet for Oboe and Strings in F Major, K370. Each of the four intricate pieces included three movements of differing tempos, making for a thoroughly captivating night of music.
The pieces displayed the quartet’s undeniable passion for the music and dedication to one another. After Nagy’s sharp breath to start off a piece, the instrumentalists swayed to the music as they eloquently moved through the songs, making the audience members feel right at home. One of the highlights of the night was Nagy’s explanation of Baroque music in relation to her instrument. “The idea behind keys [for a Baroque oboe] was that they just extended your hand,” Nagy told the audience. Nagy demonstrated the “bad” notes on her oboe before expertly comparing the difference between two note qualities. “One is very covered and the other is bright,” she remarked, and played an example of the former before adding, “That sounds ugly to me!”
During a rainy, muddy day at Kenyon, Les Délices provided a comfortable space for the Kenyon community to gather and appreciate not just the Bohemian music of the 18th and 19th centuries, but the indisputable knowledge and passion of the quartet on stage. Anyone interested in hearing the sounds of various time periods from dedicated performers can anticipate another semester of diverse, interesting music.