The Azur Ensemble

St Cecilia’s Hall 14/6/25

 The Azur Ensemble, Joseph Lowe violin, Johanka Sniehottová recorder, Xavier Lowe cello, Apolline Khou harpsichord

The sizeable audience at St Cecilia’s Hall have time to admire the splendidly decorated double manual harpsichord  made by Luigi Baillon in Citeaux France in 1755.  A similar instrument may have been used by the Italian-born Francesco Barsanti (1690 -1772) who spent much of his career in Edinburgh: three pieces from his collection of Old Scots Tunes are heard during tonight’s performance by the Azur Ensemble, the youthful and incredibly talented quartet playing period instruments in a programme of short works entitled ‘Bijoux Baroques’. ‘The Birks of Invermay’ introduces to the sounds of the quartet, the gut-stringed violin  and cello of British/Spanish brothers, Joseph Lowe and Xavier Lowe immediately striking, with the Johanka Sniehottová’s recorder and Apolline Khou on the harpsichord decorating and underpinning the folk melody.  The grander ‘Lord Aboyne’s Welcome’ later in the first half features the interplay of different melodies on cello and recorder, with the violin joining in the counterpoint later. ‘Dumbarton’s Drums’ near the end of the programme is an air with variations. Barsanti’s skill was not just in recording folk-tunes but turning them into these gems of chamber music.

The Azur Ensemble was formed in 2023 at the Royal College of Music where all the players were students or graduates and in the remarkably short time since their graduations they all have established careers as soloists or in other ensembles.  For example, the Lowe brothers play with three other siblings – still in their twenties - in the Lowe Ensemble. To their consummate musicianship in period instruments, the quartet bring a keen sense of what works with an audience, the well-chosen programme mixing familiar composers with those who are less well-known, and an engaging performance style providing immediacy and vigour. 

Concertos by Handel and Vivaldi contrast fast and slow movements. Handel’s four movement Concerto a Quattro in D minor includes a beautiful cello melody in the largo, before the recorder and violin lead the fun in the rhythmic allegro, the higher-toned recorder and strings echoing each other’s flourishes.  Vivaldi’s three movement Concerto da Camera in F major RV 100 features the lower-toned recorder in an energetic work in which the four players sound like a busy chamber orchestra, with all the instruments getting a chance to shine. The Largo begins with the harpsichord accompanied by pizzicato cello before the recorder joins in with a soulful melody. The final allegro is a fast and furious dialogue between recorder and violin. For me Vivaldi always seem to pack such wonderful music into a small space of time and these musicians carry this miniature off to perfection.

There are solos too. French harpsichordist, Apolline Khou often plays continuo in the ensemble but has arranged for herself two preludes originally written for viola da gamba by Marin Marais (1656-1728). These are slow exploratory pieces, both in the minor key, almost with an improvisatory quality, featuring elegant decorative phrases. She is the most experienced of the players and is responsible for other arrangements we hear tonight, often giving a smile of appreciation to her fellow players. 

Czech recorder player Johanka Sniehottová studied in Copenhagen before meeting the others on an exchange programme in London.  Her solo is from Jacob van Eyck’s (1590-1657) collection of recorder pieces, ‘Der Fluyten Lus-Hof’. He’s the earliest composer represented tonight and ‘Malle Symen’ is an air with increasingly elaborate variations which contrasts soft and loud passages and builds on echoing and imitative effects. Her mastery of the instrument is breath-taking, and she finishes to enthusiastic applause.

Domenico Gabrielli (1651-1690) a composer from Bologna, wrote some of the earliest music for solo cello, and his Ricercare No 7, rather like Apolline Khou’s harpsichord preludes, is a slow work which presents the cellist with opportunities to explore and showcase the potential of the instrument.  Xavier Lowe gives a rich and glowing performance.

Joseph’s Lowe plays the solo part in Sonata for Violin and Continuo in G minor by François Francœur (1698-1787).  His fellow players on stage, Apolline Khou and Xavier Lowe play continuo on harpsichord and cello, while he races into the first movement, taking its technical challenges in his stride. The cello echoes the violin’s patterns in the early stages, then sticks to the strict continuo rhythm while the violin weaves interesting syncopations round him.  The harpsichord accompanies the violin in the slow second movement and plays with pizzicato cello to provide the last movement’s continuo.

Sometimes when we hear baroque instruments we’re struck by their comic or quirky potential. These early composers agreed with us, and the Azur Ensemble are happy to entertain with some stranger sounds. In ‘La Folia’, Vivaldi seems to enjoy both harmonies and dissonances on gut-stringed instruments, played with slow relish and with dazzling brilliance.  Although most versions of this work are for strings only, the Azur Ensemble bring the recorder into the mix to add an top layer of brilliance.  At times the soloists seem to compete with each other like the best jazz players! Telemann can be relied upon for quirkiness and Apolline Khou heralds the Presto from his Sonata a tre in G Minor with shakes of the tambourine, and the concert ends with off-beat rhythms and spirited playing from all, prolonged applause and a short encore.

This is the second of this year’s Sypert concerts at St Cecilia’s Hall, sponsored by Doctors Joy and George Sypert.  The final concert on Saturday 24th June by Jacqueline Ross (violin) and Artem Belogurov (fortepiano) is called ‘Close Connections’ and examines performance practice in works by Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.

Apolline Khou gives a solo harpsichord recital, ‘Clair-Obscur’ at St Cecilia’s Hall on 9th August at 3pm as part of the Edinburgh Fringe.