Kiele Sacco, or Ki as she is known to her friends, and me, is an American harpsichordist based at Morley College, London, specialising in historical performance and early music. The concert began at 1.00pm which I suppose is pretty early really. The programme, being works from Renaissance England to refined French Baroque was perfectly suited to this ornate and impressive building, which used to be known as Leeds Parish Church, when I was a lad.
Leeds Minster.
The title of the recital was, ‘From Fantasia to French Suite: Keyboard Journeys Across Europe’, and comprised works by William Byrd (c.1540-1623), Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer (c.1656-1746), Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757), Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and François Couperin (1668-1733).
Before the recital proper, we were given an introduction to the Minster and its coming attractions by Will Lewis, the Administrator. It seems that this is one of the very few lunchtime concerts which is not performed on the Minster’s organ. He also mentioned the plate for a retiring collection after the concert, something I am in favour of as it makes live music accessible for all.
Ki Sacco outlined the works in the programme before taking to the harpsichord to bring them to life.
I admit to not being familiar with any of the pieces, so can’t refer you to the appropriate advert or pop song which uses them. I don’t even pretend to be au fait with the lesser known classical music, but, for those of you who are, Charles, they were; Boyd’s Fantasia, BK63, Fischer’s Chaconne from Euterpe, Scarlatti’s Sonata in B minor, K.27, Bach’s French Suite No.2 in B minor, BWV 814, ending with Sixième Ordre by Couperin.
Although unfamiliar, they were all very accessible and so a wonderfully curated set. The majesty with which they were played emphasised, once again, the way in which the venue added to the experience. Because they use plectrums to pick the strings when the keys are depressed, rather than strike them with a hammer as on a piano, harpsichords are not the most powerfully sounding instruments but Ms Sacco managed to fill the Minster with what was available.
Kiele Sacco in action.
I spoke to her after the performance and she told me that the keys are much smaller and narrower, than those on a piano and some have more keys than others. There are also models with double keyboards, but I think they are for heavy metal concerts, like the guitars with two necks. There again, I could be wrong.
I thought that this was a great way to spend a Friday lunchtime and I must thank the lovely Jillian at Leeds Baroque Orchestra and Choir for letting me know about the event.
For more about Kiele Sacco and to see where she is playing please see https://kielesacco.co.uk/#events
To see what events are happening at Leeds Minster, please go to https://leedsminster.org/events
For Leeds Baroque Choir and Orchestra it’s https://leedsbaroque.co.uk
Tyke It To The Limit 