Music / 3 On 3, Apeiron Baroque. At Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest, March 22. Reviewed by LEN POWER.

Apeiron Baroque can always be relied upon to provide something different in their concerts and this one was no exception.

With three violinists and a continuo section of three more players, this ensemble certainly made beautiful music together.

John Ma (violin) and Marie Searles (harpsichord) were joined by guest artists Jared Adams (violin), Isaiah Bondfield (violin), Anton Baba (cello/gamba) and George Wills (theorbo/guitar). All artists had a formidable list of credits nationally and internationally.

Another of the delights of an Apeiron Baroque concert is to hear the music of less familiar composers. In this case, they played short works by 11 composers from the Baroque period including Vierdanck, Krieger, Roncalli, Balbestre, Finger, d’Hervelois, Schmeltzer and Dornel as well as the more well-known Telemann and Pachelbel.

They began with all six artists playing the lively Capriccio No. 26 by Johann Vierdanck. The melodic Sonata No. 5 by Johann Krieger was next with John Ma the solo violinist with the continuo. George Wills on guitar played a beautifully reflective Preludio and Passacaglia by Ludovico Roncalli and Marie Searles, harpsichord, played another quietly reflective work by Claude Balbestre.

The concert continued with a variety of works that each demonstrated the richness of the music from this period. Each member of the ensemble was featured in certain works. Highlights included a jaunty gavotte by Telemann, which the ensemble clearly enjoyed playing, as well as exquisite works by Marais, Schmeltzer and Dornel.

John Ma provided lively and often amusing anecdotes about many of the composers. Claude Balbestre, for example, was one of the most famous organists of his time. His fame was so great that he was eventually forbidden to play as the churches were always too crowded when he performed.

The full ensemble concluded this excellent concert with a fine performance of Johann Pachelbel’s possibly now too-well-known Canon. Ma explained, humorously, that in the life of every Baroque ensemble there comes a time when it’s inevitable that this work be played.