Music / The Complete Roll-Bag, Apeiron Baroque. At Wesley Uniting Church, August 31. Reviewed by GRAHAM McDONALD.

As we have come to expect from Apeiron Baroque, this was a cleverly programmed and very well played concert of baroque music by Italian and German composers of wonderful obscurity.

Violinist and violist John Ma and Marie Searles, on harpsichord, were joined by visiting recorder player Alana Blackburn with local musicians Lauren Davis playing violin, violist Pippa Newman, cellist Clara Teniswood and bass player Henry South.

Blackburn played treble, tenor and bass recorders, including what might well be the only work for a solo bass recorder in a trio by CPE Bach for recorder,  viola and continuo. The bass recorder and viola work in much the same range but the differing tonal colours made for interesting listening. In its low range, the recorder almost vanishes behind the viola and harpsichord, but pokes through in its second octave.

Blackburn also shone in two short works by Christoph Graupner. The first was a slow work with the recorder floating over chords from the strings. For the second the strings all played pizzicato while the recorder imitated bird song with a warbling, fluttering technique. Your reviewer has no idea how this was achieved, but it was most impressive.

The strings were also given their opportunity. The concert opened with two short growly and gritty viola duos from Ma and Newman.

Ma, Searles and South gave us a work by a 17^th century Italian, Giovanni Pandolfi before Ma and Davis retuned their violins for a Partie by Johann Pachelbel.

Alana Blackburn returned for a group of short works by Nicola Matteis playing a treble recorder before finishing the concert with a recorder concerto by Nicola Fiorenza. This was a delight of pitch and phrasing and an excellent finish to a most satisfying concert.