Above and featured: Théotime Langlois de Swarte played with a small ensemble in relaxed, modern soiree mode during this concert’s first half. Photo credit : Michael Bradfield.

Familiar, repeated basslines, impressive instrumental riffs, a tight band of players bouncing off each other to deliver well known and new music to an audience full of fans.  This is a familiar scene in modern band gigs.

Théotime Langlois de Swarte, guest director for the latest Brandenburg concert, has brought to us a programme of some fourteen works. Some short, others with several movements, these all showcase his formidable ability to both riff as soloist and blend into a group gesture. His sequence of pieces from the turn of the eighteenth century in London feature popular tunes, theatre music, typical forms.

This violinist’s wished to provide a snapshot of popular tunes and violin playing from this point of history rather than the more formal musics heard at court. During the concert’s first half, he joined six of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra musicians including Artistic Director Paul Dyer, in a beautifully lit, lushly appointed modern salon complete with silver helium heart-shaped balloons, wine and a sofa.

From Trent Suidgeet’s  innovative and stunningly lit crossover set, the musicians delivered the popular tunes and gestures for the time being explored. Theirs was a staggered entry in modern well-dressed mode to the party where the familiar ground basses pumped and expert variations or filigree was woven above.

Théotime Langlois de Swarte wandered the space delivering the music by John and Henry Eccles, Italian expat Nicola Matteis and son, and the Purcells Henry and Daniel. There was substantial variety in the musical forms played, from airs, divisions of songs, dance music, preludes and sonatas, all delivered with a relaxed excellence and an exemplary, fluid ensemble gesturing.

And like any legendary guitarist performing with his band, Théotime led the luscious vibe and delivered music with a relaxed excellence during this concert’s beautifully produced first half.

This first section of the concert was truly ‘Music For a While’, an elegant sampler – a sampler which gently celebrated music that could be heard in London around the same time and sharing it with us with the spirit of party-piece spontaneity.

This visiting violinist’s voice is clear, sweet and his gesturing thoughtfully paced and articulated. Amidst the eloquence, moments of bravura emerged in stunning flashes. These were never overplayed or self-indulgent, arching out from the structures to amaze us even more.

The concert’s second half returned to a more traditional concert format, with the soloist leading the orchestra. Party jackets were swapped for performance black and chrome-look balloons were gone. A sensitively lit cloth backdrop still housed the fine playing in a nice glow.

Using music from some of the English and global string superstars of the Baroque, Théotime Langlois de Swarte showed us his approach to the violin that has led to his prodigious rise to a successful place as a unique and charismatic interpreter of beloved Baroque music and beyond.

This half started with a reprise of the Aire 5 from John Eccles’ ‘Mad Lover Suite’. Then followed the Concerto Grosso form as explored by the English musical figure Charles Avison.

There was a great rapport with the Brandenburg players throughout this concert format. Moving later onto the solo concerto and sonata work from Vivaldi, then Veracini, there were fireworks, colour and impressive clarity and the momentum picked up.

The Lover of this concert offered us relaxation, variation, a love of the classic Baroque forms as well as the use of tunes from theatre and the day.

This progressive concert event with historical focus on music heard in early eighteenth-century London plus unique staging should not be missed. The visual and musical atmospheres created and maintained across the many works on the programme will touch you and reinforce a love of quality performance and music.