ACCORDING TO LEGEND, the only cure for the bite of the tarantula is the high-speed tarantella, a southern Italian dance accompanied by chants and said to induce a trance-like state. Fortunately, audience members at L'Arpeggiata's Hong Kong Arts Festival performance, La Tarantella, won't have to succumb to the spider's poison to be swept along with the Paris-based ensemble's spirited blend of music and dance.
Austrian-born multi-instrumentalist and classically trained musician Christina Pluhar founded L'Arpeggiata seven years ago. One of her aims was 'to touch a bigger audience than just a classical one'. The success was immediate, and several CDs released since then have met with rave reviews. The group now spends most of the year touring.
L'Arpeggiata's repertoire draws from 17th-century folk and baroque music from Italy and other parts of the Mediterranean. It's been called 'crossover', but softly spoken Pluhar doesn't like the term, preferring to describe it as 'the opening of a musical language that has existed for a long time to modern audiences'.
The 10-member ensemble has not performed in Hong Kong before. Pluhar concedes that its members are 'very excited about the concert, because we don't quite know what to expect'. But she said, 'The music speaks very directly to the audience and I'm quite sure the programme will transcend cultures and appeal to Hong Kong people. It goes beyond a normal concert experience and requires a lot of emotional participation.
'The tarantella is a kind of magic music, and we often find that people go through various emotional states during the show. Sometimes they are very happy, sometimes they are sad and even cry a little. There are some very touching moments.'
Pluhar said the ensemble consisted of 'some of the best soloists around', including the Italian singer Lucilla Galeazzi, who is known for her unusual and expressive voice. (One review described it as 'controlled, refined and yet so full of spirit it absolutely explodes'.) According to Pluhar, she 'really engages the audience through the beauty of her voice and her stage personality'.