Natalia Lipnitskaya in a setting of haunting ruins (screen shot from the YouTube video for her performance)
This afternoon the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts released its latest video. This one was particularly brief, less than four and one-half minutes. It was a solo performance by Natalia Lipnitskaya, captured on video in the ruins of the Chiesa de San Cataldo in Sant’Elia Fiumerapido, Italy. Maria Elena Bonet directed the filming, which was captured by Andrei Voskresenski and produced by the Fiumerapido Film Studio. Robin Rieuvernet provided the audio engineering.
The result was an impressive performance that was particularly engaging for both eyes and ears. Nevertheless, it was frustrating for just about any musicologist, not to mention early music mavens of any sort. The title of the program was Natalia Lipnitskaya plays Ground by Henry Purcell. Now, that would be as informative as saying “Organist E. Power Biggs played a chorale by Bach!” Since it was easy to calculate with a search tool, I discovered that there are fourteen different works in the Wikipedia Web page listing the compositions by Purcell with the word “ground.” (One of them was even listed as “Gittar ground,” making it the prime candidate for Lipnitskaya’s selection!) The only thing I know for certain is that this particular theme was not taken from any of the more popular of Purcell’s operas!
Still, I have to confess that I found the music engaging, particularly in the almost haunting darkness of the ruins in which Lipnitskaya performed!
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