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The Red Violin Film Inspires "The Amber Viol," Solo Performance and Presentation by Catharina Meints
By Claire Chase
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 is ideally suited for: Recitals
THE PROGRAM Ricercada Life Sonata in A
minor Intermission Sonata in D
major Sonata in D
minor Late 20th Century
piece
Catharina Meints is also available
for: |
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When
Catharina
Meints, teacher of viola da
gamba and baroque cello, saw the prize-winning film The
Red Violin, she was struck with an idea. If the esoteric
field of instrument-collecting could spawn such success in
the movie industry, why not create a venture for the concert
hall? The inspired result of that brainstorm is "The Amber
Viol," an innovative solo da gamba presentation that
illuminates the 300-year history of Meint's prized 1680
Joachim Tielke viol. Meints' program combines musicological
commentary, historical background and speculative narrative
with a program of unaccompanied viola da gamba music
spanning three centuries.
"I had never really envisioned a program of solo viola da gamba music as something to 'sell,' but after seeing The Red Violin and the stir that it made in the media, I began to think about how to make a recital both entertaining and dramatic, and interesting historically," Meints remarks. "Sometimes it's not enough to just get out there and play great music."
"The Amber Viol " showcases a program of viol music from different countries, eras and aesthetics. Meints tells the story of her treasured Tielke viol from a historical perspective, and relates to the audience her own "speculative" narrative on the life of the instrument as it survived through the centuries.
"I structured the program chronologically around three well-known works - the Sonata in A minor by Johann Schenk, the Sonata in D Major by G.P.Telemann (which Meints recorded on the Gasparo label), and the Sonata in D minor by C.F. Abel - all of which are very dramatic, virtuosic showpieces. I needed to round out the program on the early end, so I programmed a 16th century work of Spanish-Italian origin by Diego Ortiz and a 17th century piece by English composer Tobias Hume."
Meints' speculative narrative, among other topics, addresses the possibility that the Amber Viol may have given the Telemann Sonata in D Major its premiere performance in the 18th century. "This possibility is highly likely," explains Meints, "as the instrument was made in 1680. Joachim Tielke (described as the "Stradivarius" of viol makers) was working in Hamburg when Telemann was working there as well."
Meints:
On Cultivating Audiences
Catharina Meints' career as an early music specialist, a 28-year veteran of the Cleveland Orchestra, an educator, co-founder in 1972 of the acclaimed Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, and active participant in outreach programs has provided her with a breadth and flexibility to reach many audiences with her Amber Viol presentation.
"Another reason this presentation came to mind was my involvement in a Cleveland Orchestra program called "Learning Through Music," which takes orchestral musicians into the schools to teach, through music, one specific element of the young students' curriculum. In other words, it is a curriculum-based program, in which learning is the object and music is the means."
For example, when one group of children was studying adjectives, instead of addressing the topic through definitions of grammar, Meints asked the children to describe the many different types of music that she played for them.
"Aside from being a wonderful learning opportunity for the kids, this experience planted more seeds in my head about playing and presenting, all in one, and offered a recital of not just music, but much more. The history of my Tielke viol is a story that I hope will be accessible to anyone with a certain level of concert-going interest. This presentation is really for anyone, from early music buffs to devotees of the "Antique Roads Show," who are curious about music and its context."
Catharina Meints/ James Caldwell Instrument Collection
For
more than 30 years, Meints has collected rare and antique
instruments with her husband James Caldwell, Conservatory
professor of oboe and noted viola da gambist. The couple's
collection totals 17 historic viols, 11 of them basses.
"When I met Jim, he already owned six modern instruments
that he lent to others, but he had always dreamed of owning
an old treasure."
That dream became a reality, quite by accident, when the Caldwells were offered an unused, unrestored viola da gamba from the head of the Settlement School in Philadelphia. The instrument had been turned into a cello, and had no label. "Not knowing anything about it, we decided to buy it for very little money. We then took it to a dealer in New York, who convinced us that its curved back signified that it was a fake - because no gambas have curved backs - and was probably made in the 19th century. So we handed it over to a repairman to have it restored and turned into a gamba."
When the young couple traveled to Europe to study, their teacher August Wenzinger took them to see a prized 1707 Tielke viol at a friend's home in Switzerland. "We opened the case, and discovered a twin to our viol back home! The curved back, the engravings…everything was identical. So, we made our first transatlantic phone call and urged the maker not to take the back off! Our little Tielke turned out to be the gem of the collection. Gunter Hellwig, a leading expert on Tielke viols, authenticated it by studying the exact measurements, and decided it was a 1680 model."
Thus began the Caldwells' instrument collection, which has since been studied by scholars and instrument makers from around the globe. After the Tielke acquisition, the Caldwells began to foster an interest in different types of instruments from different centuries and countries. "We proceeded to want to have a set of each instrument from each country so that we could play duets together, in many languages!"
Meints' passion for rare instruments has only intensified over the years. "The interest, for me, that has held over all the decades of instrument viewing, playing and collecting, is very connected with the unique physical beauty of the instrument. It's hard to imagine ever selling one instrument, because each one does something better than the other. Each one has something remarkably special about its appearance, its tone, its history."
About Catharina Meints
Highlights of virtuoso Catherina Meints' illustrious career include solo recitals at Carnegie Hall and the Smithsonian Institution, numerous appearances as a member of the renowned Oberlin Baroque Ensemble, and a recording of Bach's St. Matthew Passion with Sir George Solti and the Chicago Symphony. Hailed as "spiritual" by The New York Times, she has toured and recorded extensively with such celebrated ensembles as the Cleveland Baroque Soloists, the Oberlin Consort of Viols and Duo Guersan. In addition, Ms. Meints is a member of the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra where she has appeared as concerto soloist. A co-founder of Oberlin's famed Baroque Performance Institute, Ms. Meints' leadership in teaching the viola da gamba and historical performance sets the standard in early music today.
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