THE ALEHOUSE

THE ALEHOUSE

Bjarte Eike and the Barokksolistene
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

29.10.2017

The sound desk is under wraps, the seats in the pit have been removed, the candles are lit. It’s acoustic party night for Bjarte Eike and his Barokksolistene, making a very welcome return to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

This is the last gig of a very ambitious tour, and the nine musicians are clearly enjoying it as much as the packed playhouse.

The project has been running for ten years now; its origin was Eike’s research into London’s music scene during the puritan regime of Oliver Cromwell. Theatres were dark, church music was banned, and the professional freelance musicians took refuge in inns and taverns, where their skills were still valued. These Alehouse Sessions aim to bring back the spirit of those pub gigs – fortunate indeed the topers who heard anything like these nine superb musicians. They’re all successful in their own fields – Eike himself is Norway’s finest baroque violinist, Hans Knut Sveen, who plays the tiny portable harmonium, has an academic career at Bergen University.

The evening is a blend of folk club and period music concert. The musicians swig bottle-ale; there’s comedy and there’s dance – the excellent Steven Player, one of two British members of the group, channelling the spirit of Will Kemp. His Four Kinds of Drunkard and his fancy footwork – including one number with bells - were highlights of the show. There was a slomo pub brawl, and much fun with the groundlings packed into the pit.

The music was eclectic – sea shanties in which the audience raised its three hundred voices to excellent effect – Raggle Taggle Gypsies, Playford’s English Dancing Master, a Swedish Lament for a Dead Barmaid, a Travel Set, including an American contribution from the Globe’s Director of Music Bill Barclay. Henry Purcell’s Timon of Athens, his Bonduca – the second time I’ve mentioned Fletcher’s obscure history play this year – with O Lead Me ending with a beautiful a cappella chorus. The matinée audience also got the same composer’s comedy No Kissing duet from The Fairy Queen.

The evening ended with a second encore, improvisations on another Playford tune, showcasing the diverse talents and influences within this amazing ensemble.

Photograph: Matthew Long