Violinist Daniel Hope did as much as anyone to help us get through the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to spread joy wherever he goes. This week, he and his 6-member group AIR brought this energy to Koerner Hall in Toronto, to celebrate his Irish Roots. Even without the ubiquitous “Danny Boy,” it was a concert to remember, and served to teach audiences about the origins of Irish music and the connections between Ireland, Handel, Scarlatti, Geminiani and Vivaldi.
Daniel Hope first came to prominence as a protegée of Yehudi Menuhin. Born in South Africa, he and his family arrived penniless in England when Hope was just 4 years old. His mother got a job as Menuhin’s secretary, and remained in that position for 24 years. Menuhin became Hope’s musical grandfather, mentor and lifelong family friend.
Daniel Hope, Photo by Tibor Bozi
Hope has gone on to become one of the foremost violinists of his generation, and one of the most imaginative and resourceful artists anywhere. He is currently music director of both the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and the New Century Chamber Orchestra – previously headed by Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg – and President of the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn. During the pandemic he streamed concerts almost every day from his living room in Berlin, with an endless succession of prominent musicians. Above all, he is a man who loves music of all genres and can’t get enough of it. He is continually coming up with fresh ideas for programming, such as is the case with Dance!, a concert of dance music through the centuries, which he performs with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.
Daniel Hope’s great grandfather was born in Ireland, and Hope himself carries an Irish passport. Irish Roots featured more than a dozen Irish traditional songs and dances, as well as music by prominent classical composers who either visited Ireland, were influenced by its music, or who influenced Irish composers. Hope was joined by AIR (Simos Papanas, violin, Nicola Mosca, cello and Irish Harp, Emanuele Forni, lute, Markellas Chryssikos, harpsichord and Michael Metzler, percussion), a group that he founded, and with whom he collaborates regularly. On a previous visit to Toronto, AIR performed a program of Baroque music.
AIR, Photo by Tibor Bozi
The concert opened with some traditional Irish songs, and then went on to some music by Irish composer Thomas Roseingrave (1690-1766), who met Domenico Scarlatti in Italy and later championed his music in England and Ireland.
As the story goes, Handel and Scarlatti were at the same gathering in Rome on one occasion and they were encouraged to show off their keyboard prowess in a kind of competition. History tells us that Scarlatti emerged the winner. In remembrance of this momentous event, Daniel Hope and his colleague Simos Papanas (concertmaster of the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra in Greece and holds a degree in mathematics from Yale University) treated us to a competition of their own, using Scarlatti keyboard pieces as raw material. Who could play the most notes at the quickest tempo? The result was impressive high-speed fiddling that brought the house down.
Then came music by the Hungarian-born composer Johann Sigismund Kusser (1660-1727), who settled in Dublin and became Chapel-Master of Trinity College. The audience was treated to a suite of dances from his opera Erindo. The first half of the concert ended with three pieces by the Scottish composer James Oswald (1710-1769). Although Hope provided a spoken introduction to each of these pieces, the Irish connection for the Oswald pieces escaped me. Among the Oswald selections was the provocatively titled “She’s Sweetest When She is Naked.”
Daniel Hope and AIR in performance at Koerner Hall
The second half featured concertos by Vivaldi, again featuring some virtuoso violin playing from Hope and Papanas. Vivaldi never set foot in Ireland, but his music was widely admired and imitated there, and inspired the blind Irish composer and harpist Turlough O’Carolan (1670-1738), sometimes called “the Irish Vivaldi. Although O’Carolan and Vivaldi never met, O’Carolan did meet Geminiani and bested him in a test of musical skills.
In O’Carolan’s time, the harp was a symbol of Irish nationalism – so much so that when Cromwell invaded Ireland, harpists were often hunted down and killed and their instruments destroyed. O’Carolan composed many of the best-known Irish songs still played today: Hope and AIR played several of them, including O’Carolan’s poignant “Farewell” as an encore.
All in all, this was a splendid survey of Irish and Irish-related music, with entertaining and enlightening commentary provided by Hope. The program was thoughtfully put together and carefully researched, and the performances were exemplary in every way.
Nicola Mosca (principal cellist of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra) deserves special mention for his musicianship and versatility. In this concert, he often set aside his cello to perform with expertise and sensitivity on a small and appropriately green Irish harp. Also outstanding was percussionist Michael Metzler, who played at least six or seven different instruments during the concert and was excellent on each of them.
