“Written as homage to Rameau (Amareu being the anagram of Rameau), this Suite presents glimpses from everyday life at an 18th century aristocratic household: hunting, courting in the gardens, dancing and entertaining in opulent surroundings”
Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova has been domiciled in England since she was eleven and has created a significant niche for herself in the English and European new music scene. She is comfortable in all genres save opera and ballet—but I am sure these aspects will be successfully fulfilled in the future.
3MBS’s champion of women composers, Helen Rommelaar, has programmed for Saturday Night Classics (10 August) a diverse display of Tabakova’s output. Of the music featured, two compositions stand out (at least to my ears), namely, Tabakova’s Suite in Old Style ‘The Court Jester Amareu’ for Solo Viola, Strings and Harpsichord (2006) and her Concerto for Cello and Strings (2008), as these works demonstrate there is no limitation to the musical scoping of her canvases.
The Suite highlights her comfort in a connection to the historical past and is an example of her postmodernity. A program note on the work vividly describes the composer’s intent: “Written as homage to Rameau (Amareu being the anagram of Rameau), this Suite presents glimpses from everyday life at an 18th century aristocratic household: hunting, courting in the gardens, dancing and entertaining in opulent surroundings”.
Her Concerto for Cello and Strings signals that Tabakova does not need a programmatic crutch. I have listened to the work on numerous occasions, and I have always marvelled at her use of form to shape musical control, and her thematic development that shows a keen ear to push the essay’s momentum. Arguably, the Suite and the Cello Concerto are the standout works in Helen Rommelaar’s program, but this is not to say the rest of the composer’s featured music has less merit. In fact, if one listens to the whole program, you will hear piano, organ, choral and chamber works, and each composition shows a composer with something original to say regardless of format. For further information about this particular program consult the guide at the back of this magazine. Saturday Night Classics is available on the 3MBS website for one week after the initial broadcast.
— Joel Crotty