ConcertPulse
Thomas Dunford / Théotime Langlois de Swarte: »The Mad Lover«
Elbphilharmonie, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)
These two Frenchmen are among the brightest rising stars of the early-music scene. The Baroque violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte was mentored by the star conductor William Christie. And Thomas Dunford has jammed on his lute with Bobby McFerrin. With their duo programme »The Mad Lover«, the two musicians travel back to 17th-century England, an era in which the ostinato groove became a virtuosic engine driving sonatas, suites and fantasias. The inspiration for this programme was a »Ground« from the stage music to the play »The Mad Lover« by John Eccles. This sensuous work, which is based on a simple recurring bass ostinato, gave Théotime Langlois de Swarte and Thomas Dunford the idea of arranging works of this kind for the charming combination of violin and lute. And they found just what they were looking for in works by Henry Purcell and the England-based Italian Nicola Matteis.