Welcome to Harmonia . . . I’m Angela Mariani.  In June of 2021, violinist Jeanne Lamon, long-time director of the Canadian period instrument ensemble Tafelmusik, reached the end of her life. After 33 years in Toronto, she had retired and moved to Vancouver, but Jeanne was still in close touch with her colleagues and friends, and her loss was a tremendous shock to the larger Tafelmusik community. This hour, we’ll talk to a couple of Jeanne’s long-time colleagues, listen to some of the music that Tafelmusik recorded under her leadership, and reflect on Jeanne Lamon’s enormous influence on the Canadian music world. Later in the program, our featured recording is the 2021 Tafelmusik Media re-release entitled The Music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. 

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MUSIC TRACK 
The Galileo Project
Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon
Tafelmusik Media, 2012 / B006ZV6VEW
Silvius Leopold Weiss
Tr. 23 Lute Concerto in C Major I. Allegro (4:43)

Lutenist Lucas Harris played the first movement of Silvius Leopold Weiss’ Lute Concerto in C Major with the ensemble Tafelmusik on their CD The Galileo Project, which was also released as a DVD. It was the first of a series of concerts that the members of Tafelmusik performed from memory so that they did not have to remain stationary! We’ll hear more about this project later in the program.

This hour, we’re celebrating the violinist Jeanne Lamon, who passed away in June 2021. Jeanne directed the Toronto-based period instruments orchestra Tafelmusik for 33 years, earning it an international reputation as one of the top ensembles of its kind. We’ll hear from a couple of Jeanne’s colleagues and listen to recordings that feature her as a soloist.

Tafelmusik already existed when Jeanne Lamon was invited to become its leader in 1981. From the start, Jeanne thought of role as director as “prima inter pares” (first among equals) in Tafelmusik, leading the orchestra with her bow arm, her energy, and her wonderful smile. Let’s listen to one of Tafelmusik’s early recordings, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, in which Jeanne leads the orchestra from the position of solo violinist:    

MUSIC TRACK
The Four Seasons
Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon
Sony, 1992 / B0000027X4
A Vivaldi 1
Tr. 11 Winter II (2:05)
Tr. 12 Winter III (3:07)

We heard the second and third movements of Winter from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons played by Jeanne Lamon and Tafelmusik on their eponymous 1992 Sony CD. 

In its early days, Tafelmusik concentrated on the best-known baroque repertory, which in the late 20th century meant in large part the music of J.S. Bach. Their 1994 recording of his Brandenburg Concerti is a fine example of their tight but flexible ensemble playing and moderate tempi injected with tons of energy, as championed by Jeanne Lamon.

Here’s Charlotte Nediger, who was already a member of Tafelmusik before Jeanne arrived in 1981 and still plays harpsichord and organ with them. Charlotte was Jeanne’s assistant and close friend for many years, and we asked her whether any particular pieces specially reminded her of Jeanne:  

[interview clip: T1] 

"There's one piece that we first played together in her first season with us, and that’s Bach Brandenburg 5. And I realized all the times that I played that piece—as I said, many, many—always been with Jeanne. I didn't know whether I'd, I'd ever revisit it without Jeanne, but it was on the plate for last season to be played with Genevieve Gilardeau in our orchestra, who is a former student of Jeanne. And that felt right. I was handing out the music. I happen to be librarian. And I said, well, I don't have a clean part, I only have Jeanne’s part, which has 33 years’ worth of markings all over it. It's quite a mess. And Genevieve said that's what I'm playing from." 

Let’s hear the first movement of the iconic Fifth Brandenburg Concerto:

MUSIC TRACK
Brandenburg Concertos
Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon
Sony Classical 1994 / B000002AQ4
JS Bach
Tr. 13 Allegro from Concerto 5 BWV 1050 (10:02)

Tafelmusik recorded the Brandenburg Concerti in 1994 for Sony. The violinist is Jeanne Lamon, the harpsichordist Charlotte Nediger, the traverso player Marten Root. We heard the first movement of J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, BWV 1050.

Tafelmusik didn’t limit itself to the canon: Jeanne’s musical tastes and proclivities took the programming to less usual places. Charlotte Nediger fondly recalls Jeanne’s affinity with the music of Henry Purcell: 

[interview clip: T2]

"Playing Purcell with Jeanne, she had a real feel for that music--somehow aligned with her personality in a way. It's got those amazing inner parts, fantastic basslines, tune. And it was rhythmic and joyful, as well as intimate."

MUSIC TRACK
Ayres for the Theatre/Henry Purcell
Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon
Sony, 1995 / B01AXLEVGO
Henry Purcell
Tr. 43 Trumpet tune (:44)
Tr. 45 Hornpipe (:47)
Tr. 49 Song tune: We the spirits of the air (1:14)
Tr. 50 Rondeau (1:37)

From the 1995 recording Henry Purcell’s Ayres for the Theatre, we heard Jeanne Lamon lead Tafelmusik in a Trumpet Tunes; a Hornpipe; the Song tune: “We the spirits of the air”; and a Rondeau from his opera The Indian Queen.

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(Theme Music Bed: Ensemble Alcatraz, Danse Royale, Elektra Nonesuch 79240-2 / B000005J0B, T.12: La Prime Estampie Royal)

You can hear highlights from recent and archival concert recordings of early music… and more… on our podcast, Harmonia Uncut -- curated and hosted by Wendy Gillespie. Listen online at harmonia early music dot org and through iTunes.

You’re listening to Harmonia . . .  I’m Angela Mariani. 

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:59 Midpoint Break Music Bed:

Biber: Harmonia Artificioso-Ariosa
Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon
Sony, 1995 / B0000029KM
Biber
Tr. 30 Partia VI Aria - Variatio I – XIII (excerpt of 6:29)

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Welcome back. We’re focusing on the life and work of Jeanne Lamon this hour; Jeanne passed away in June 2021.

Tafelmusik baroque orchestra was Jeanne’s life, and she infused every aspect of it with her energy, dedication, and intelligence, in addition to her artistic and musical leadership. Alison Mackay, who retired from Tafelmusik in 2018 after 40 (!) seasons with the orchestra, worked very closely with Jeanne.

[interview clip: T3]

"I think one of her great strengths as a leader—a long, long-time leader of an organization—was that not only was she a profound musician and virtuosic player, but she also understood the business implications of every artistic decision that would be made. She could sit in a board meeting and spot an error in the budget much more quickly than all the businesspeople there, and, and I think it meant that she had a very close collaboration with a couple of very brilliant administrators during her time, and it meant that there was a lot of cohesion at the center and a lot of exciting plans could come from that." 

And Jeanne Lamon’s dedication extended to her entire adopted country - here’s Charlotte Nediger again: 

[interview clip: T4]

"Tafelmusik was home, and therefore, Toronto became home, and Canada became home, and she became a very devout Canadian. She really embraced the country. She learned French and she learned the history of the country, and we toured a lot, and she always ensured that that stayed because it's not the most moneyed place to tour, but it was really, really important for her and for all of us that we be a Canadian orchestra and not just a Toronto orchestra or a North American orchestra, but really specifically, a Canadian orchestra."

Let’s listen to Jeanne lead Tafelmusik from the violin as the soloist in the slow movement of Bach’s A Minor Violin Concerto.

MUSIC TRACK
Bach Concertos for Violin
[Bach: Violin Concertos BWV 1041 - 1043 & BWV 1064R]
Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon
Sony, 1995 / B000002APP
Tr. 2: JS Bach Concerto for 2 Violins in A Minor, BWV 1041: Andante (6:10)

Jeanne Lamon was the soloist and leader of Tafelmusik on their 1995 Sony recording entitled Bach Concertos for Violin, and that was the slow movement of the A Minor Concerto, BWV 1041.

Tafelmusik also began to take chances with the standard canon. For example, it’s thought nowadays that three of the four Bach Orchestral Suites are re-workings of earlier works. The Second Suite existed first in A Minor, which takes it below the range of a flute, and here Tafelmusik does a version with Jeanne Lamon playing the flute part on the violin. We’ll hear its two Bourées and the Badinerie.

MUSIC TRACK
J.S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 54 & 170; Concerto BWV 1060; Orchestral Suite No. 2
Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon
Analekta, 2013 / B005IY3BFO
JS Bach
Tr. 9 Bourée I & II (1:48)
Tr. 12 Badinerie (1:32)

Jeanne Lamon was the violin soloist in movements of the Second Bach Orchestral Suite, which we know most with the flute as the solo instrument. It appears on the 2013 Tafelmusik recording J.S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 54 & 170; Concerto BWV 1060; Orchestral Suite No. 2.

In the course of Jeanne’s tenure as director of Tafelmusik, the ensemble also took bold steps forward in programming and performing that it couldn’t have taken without her collaborative, collegial approach to music making.  Alison Mackay, from whom we heard earlier, conceived and programmed Tafelmusik’s multimedia production The Galileo Project. The idea of memorizing programs, of which The Galileo Project was the first, brought a whole new experience to the members of the ensemble. Here’s Alison Mackay, once again:

[interview clip: T5]

"It was a tremendous amount of work. The orchestra memorized all of the music that they played, and we had a wonderful actor narrating, but it was a real new venture, and Jeanne took on the risk of collaborating with everyone. And also, it was a project that put every member of the orchestra into the spotlight, in turn, that really featured each musician as a soloist. And I think that's another really fantastic attribute of hers, that she was a wonderful talent spotter of, you know, there's a whole younger generation of musicians in the orchestra now who either were her students or who she identified as having so much potential. And she was also so happy to share the limelight, and the orchestra never had fixed section leaders, that kind of thing. It always kind of rotated, and she had an eye for what peoples’ strengths were and was able to play on those, and The Galileo Project, I think, was able to put a spotlight on some of that dynamic and the orchestra, so it, I think, the audiences and orchestra itself have always been very fond of it ever since." 

From the recording of The Galileo Project in 2012, let’s hear Jeanne Lamon exchange friendly fire with her colleague Julia Wedman in the Allegro from Antonio Vivaldi’s concerto for two violins in A Major.

MUSIC TRACK
The Galileo Project
Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon
Tafelmusik Media, 2012 / B006ZV6VEW
Antonio Vivaldi
Tr. 1 Allegro A Major double violin (2:23)

We heard the Allegro from Antonio Vivaldi’s concerto for two violins in A Major, performed by violinists Jeanne Lamon and Julia Wedman with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.

Turning now to our featured release. By 2003, Tafelmusik had strayed well off the path of the “canon of classical music.” For instance, Jeanne encountered and subsequently championed the music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges, an 18th century composer of African ancestry, who was also a virtuoso violinist, a conductor, and a renowned fencer! 

On the 2021 re-release of the recording The Music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, we’ll hear Tafelmusik play the Overture from Bologne’s opera L’amant anonyme, which premiered in Paris in 1780 and is his only surviving opera.

MUSIC TRACK
The Music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon
Tafelmusik Media 2021 / B00008L3NW(?)
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
[Tr. 1-3 Overture from L'amant anonyme ([7:36)]
T.1 L'amant anonyme, Ouverture: I. Allegro presto (3:28)
T.2 L'amant anonyme, Ouverture: II. Andante (1:36)
T.3 L'amant anonyme, Ouverture: III. Presto (2:41)

That was the Overture from Joseph Bologne’s lone surviving opera, L’Amant anonyme, from the 2021 Tafelmusik Media re-release of their 2003 recording, entitled The Music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.

[Start music bed under voice] 

[Music bed: The Music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Tafelmusik / Jeanne Lamon, Tr. 6 L'amant anonyme: Ballet No. 6 (excerpt of 1:44)]

Jeanne Lamon’s accomplishments are far too numerous to even begin to list. In July 2000, she was appointed Member of The Order of Canada, in recognition of her exceptional achievements as a baroque violinist, teacher, and Music Director of Tafelmusik. Charlotte Nediger comments"

[interview clip: T6]

"I do think a very important moment in her life was getting the Order of Canada, which it's our British heritage is to get the Order of Canada. It's given by the Governor General, the representative of the Queen, and it is given to people who have really affected life in Canada. That was a very, very special day."

As the honor implies, Jeanne Lamon’s legacy is rich, including our fondest memories of her, the ones that don’t often go down in history: Alison Mackay offers a lovely final cadence upon which to end a fond recollection of Jeanne Lamon.

[interview clip: T7]

"One of the things that I'll never forget is her kind of lightheartedness and just not taking yourself too seriously. She had a terrible tendency, very occasionally, but to dissolve in laughter when something went wrong on stage, and oh, there were many cherished moments of that kind."

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Harmonia is a production of WFIU. Support comes from Early Music America: a national organization that advocates and supports the historical performance of music of the past, the community of artists who create it, and the listeners whose lives are enriched by it. On the web at EarlyMusicAmerica-dot-org.

Additional resources come from the William and Gayle Cook Music Library at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

We welcome your thoughts about any part of this program, or about early music in general. Contact us at harmonia early music dot org. And, you can follow our Facebook page by searching for Harmonia Early Music.

The writer for this edition of Harmonia was Wendy Gillespie.

Thanks to our studio engineer Michael Paskash, and our production team: LuAnn Johnson, Wendy Gillespie, Aaron Cain, and John Bailey. I’m Angela Mariani, inviting you to join us again for the next edition of Harmonia.