Camerata Ama Deus is one of several ensembles founded and directed by the Romanian-born conductor, Valentin Radu. He and this all-instrumental ensemble proffered a celebration of Haydn's expanded chamber music in recognition of the Austrian master's death two centuries ago.

     Haydn's place in music history couldn't be more seminal. He was born in 1732 when the three titans of the Baroque - Bach, Handel and Vivaldi -- were at the height of their powers. When he died in 1809, Beethoven was well into his most productive period and the teenage Schubert was just beginning to reveal his genius and usher in the Romantic period.

 

     Throughout his long career, Haydn literally created the Classical style and truly invented out of nothing seen or heard before such forms as the symphony, the solo sonata, the piano trio, and the string quartet. In his later years, he composed some of the finest settings of the Latin Mass of the Roman Catholic Church as well as the oratorio, "The Creation," one of the few to hold a candle to Handel's "Messiah." Haydn promoted his far younger contemporary Mozart and even taught Beethoven.

     Camerata Ama Deus' well-conceived program featured three Divertimenti, the Concerto No. 2 in D major for Horn & Strings, the Concerto in F major for Organ & Orchestra, and the Concerto in F major for Violin & Harpsichord. The Divertimenti showed Radu and his players in topnotch ensemble form, delineating the varied yet complimentary moods of the numerous movements with polish and aplomb. Paul Rosenberg was the exemplary soloist in the Horn Concerto while Roxborough harpsichordist Bronwyn Fix-Keller & violinist Thomas DiSarlo played with admirable virtuosity and lyricism in their selection.

     Piffaro was a little less lucky than Camerata when it came to the music on hand. The program was fascinating in that you didn't encounter any of the well-known masters of the High Renaissance sacred choral music tradition such as Victoria. Virtually every piece heard was new to the ear. But sometimes little known scores are just that because they're not worthy of all that much attention, particularly when they comprise the entirety of the program.
 
    Throughout the 24-year history of Piffaro's concert series, the ensemble has specialized in uncovering long-lost manuscripts and transforming them into accessible performance editions. But the success of these endeavors always requires that those performances come across with not just interpretive enthusiasm but also with a level of technical precision that wasn't always in evidence this weekend. This time around, the tart, pungent tones that filled the air didn't always do so with the tightest level of ensemble, balance or blend. And, at least to my ears, the music lacked any discernibly "Spanish" character that might have compensated for any other deficiencies.