GUERRIERI ET AMOROSI (CONCERT)

 

Oriana Chorale and Apeiron Baroque

Directed by Dan Walker

Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest July 26

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

Passion and warfare were the focus of this concert through the works of two 17^th Century composers, Claudio Monteverdi and Barbara Strozzi.

Monteverdi, of course, is very well-known compared to Strozzi, but she was the most prolific composer of printed secular vocal music in 17^th century Venice. That was an extraordinary achievement for a woman in that era.

Dan Walker conducting the Oriana Chorale and Apeiron Baroque

The Monteverdi works played and sung were from his Eighth Book of Madrigals published in 1638 when he was 70. The selection of Strozzi’s works was from her First Book of Madrigals, Opus 1, published when she was just 25.

Joined by early music specialists, Apeiron Baroque, the Oriana Chorale directed by Dan Walker presented a concert that captured the emotional range of the human condition of the time.

The concert began with the Monteverdi’s Let others sing of Cupid. This exciting work with its fiery passion and talk of war was followed by Strozzi’s The Nightingale, a sensitive work with a theme of underlying anger and hurt.

With titles such as Harmful silence, Prayer to Love and The Quarrel of the five senses (Strozzi) and I’m on fire, ablaze, Now that heaven and earth and Let others sing of Mars (Monteverdi), it was an exciting concert full of emotion and drama.

The choir gave each work a highly polished and pleasing performance. There were solo moments in the works that showcased the considerable skill of individual choir members.

Apeiron Baroque, led by John Ma, violin, provided a fine accompaniment for the choir and also played two instrumental works by Vitali and Scarlatti.

The concert provided a time-travelling opportunity to experience composers’ views of passion and warfare at a time of extraordinary music making.

 

Photos by Dalice Trost

 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 28 July 2026.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.

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.