An evocative evening of early English music

One doesn't normally put late- 17th-century music into the novelty category, but with John Blow's "Venus and Adonis," which received its Seattle premiere this weekend at ACT, the description fits.

MUSIC REVIEW

EARLY MUSIC GUILD

PROGRAM: Purcell's "Welcome to All the Pleasures" and John Blow's "Venus and Adonis"

WHEN: Saturday night

WHERE: Falls Theatre at ACT

The English composer is not well-known, and his only opera, or masque, as it was called by Blow, is even less so, despite its historical importance as the fountainhead of English opera. But there it is in the history books, followed by the justly famous "Dido and Aeneas" by Henry Purcell, a student of Blow, six years later.

What better avenue for the Early Music Guild, which is seeking to venture out into the risky world of producing staged works. The obscurity of Blow's "Venus" attracts everyone's attention at the outset; it is not very long; its demands are not overwhelming.

Wisely, because the piece is only about hour in length, the guild found a companion, an ode, "Welcome to All the Pleasures," composed by Purcell in the same year as "Venus," and added it as a prologue. With only minor changes in names, "Welcome" worked surprisingly well.

Together, they made an evocative evening in the theater.

The forces were mostly local, from the tiny pit orchestra led by Fred Hauptman, to the ensemble of singers, some drawn from such notable groups as Tudor Choir and Opus 7. The three principal singers were from the Northwest.

It is not surprising that much scholarly thought went into the production. One expects no less from the Early Music Guild, a fundamental part of the period music scene in Seattle. There were Hauptman in the pit, conducting and playing the harpsichord, even as his right arm was in a sling, and stage director James Middleton, a familiar name in the world of baroque dramaturgy, the only person not from the Northwest.

These sorts of works are not easy to put across, especially with limited funds. And "Venus" was not any different. There is little action: Perhaps the scene with the trio of dogs (Cosmo, Odar and Max) would be an exception. Even the death of Adonis is rather small on the emotional scale.

Nevertheless, Middleton tried valiantly to make much where there was little, particularly with broad comedy and a charming quartet of girls portraying little cupids. One of the most persuasive parts of the evening was the dancing, in period style, choreographed by Anna Mansbridge.

Although there was much to admire in the effort, one has to recognize the several awkwardnesses in the performance, dramatically and musically.

Anne-Carolyn Bird, as Cupid, was excellent, with Amanda Jane Kelley, Venus, able.

P-I music critic R.M. Campbell can be reached at 206-448-8396 or rmcampbell@seattlepi.com

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