HIP Company stages immersive concert of Baroque dance music at heritage-listed Montgomery Hall, Mt Claremont

Historical music group HIP Company reaches into the past for an immersive concert exploring dance in Baroque music.

The soiree at heritage-listed Montgomery Hall, Mt Claremont, features a collective of young professionals dedicated to historically informed performance – hence HIP – who specialise in 17th- and 18th music on historical instruments.

Directors Bonnie de la Hunty (soprano), Sarah Papadopoulos (Baroque violin), and Krista Low (Baroque ’cello), will be joined for Let Us Dance, their biggest project so far, by three guest musicians, Stewart Smith (harpsichord), Jet Kye Chong (Baroque percussion), and Andrew Skinner (Baroque flute).

De La Hunty said the program would explore the genre of the dance suite, showcasing pieces originally written for dance or influenced by it.

“Knowing that dance was such a central element to music of that time, we just wanted to put it in context,” she said.

“So we have a visual element and people can understand it that way.”

Musical numbers will be complemented by a re-imagining of historical dances by six dancers directed by Perth choreographer, Andries Weidemann.

“Some were written for dance,” De la Hunty explained. “But others on the program we think just show the influence of that style.”

A well-known example is Handel’s exquisite aria Lascia ch'io pianga, from the opera Rinaldo, which will be paired with a sarabande, a slow Spanish dance form.

“I’ll sing it to the same rhythm but there will be a dance to it, and a sarabande will be played after it,” De la Hunty explained.

“There are some Purcell songs performed as jigs, and a lot of French music.

“Baroque dance music, so much of it comes from France, under the influence of Louis XIV, who was really important in the development of ballet.

“There were social dances and theatrical dances that went on to influence other countries, England and Italy.

“It should be visually spectacular. The venue is beautiful, it’s refurbished and there’s amazing lighting, and we’ve got the dancers’ costumes.

“It will be an immersive experience.”

Let Us Dance has been postponed from Saturday, April 24, to Monday, May 17, 7.30pm, Montgomery Hall, Mt Claremont, with post-concert refreshments including Howard Park Wines.

Tickets from www.trybooking.com/bpkkl.

For more information, go to www.hip.company.