What better way to wile away a winter’s hour than to feast on the music of spring? Even if one sometimes wished for less warmth, more fire, in this program of Italian baroque monodies, ground basses and chamber music, the proof was in the pudding. And what fine fare it was.

HIP Company Artistic Director, soprano and arranger Bonny de la Hunty’s printed menu and excellent digital program note whet our appetites. As did Victoria Hall’s small stage, which elegantly evoked an Italian garden setting replete with bottles of wine on tables and roses whose colour matched that of the red harpsichord.

HIP Company. Photo © Tallulah Chong

From an aperitivo through primo and secondo piatti to dolce, here was an al fresco song by Frescobaldi followed by instrumental solos showcasing the theorbo (Piccinini), violin (Corelli), and harpsichord (Poglietti).

Main fare comprising Seconda pratica treasures by Caccini father and daughter, a trio sonata by Biagio Marini – incidentally, a fine madrigalist – and songs by Kapsberger and Falconieri. As well as a tarantella by the enigmatic Athanasius Kircher and a bergamasca by Uccellini.

Finally, a delicious, witty mash-up ciaccona for dolce: two songs from Monteverdi’s Scherzi Musicali fused with a capriccio by Maurizio Cazzati.

Cavorting nymphs and shepherds and the pains and pleasures of love invariably infused the lyrics of de la Hunty’s vocal offerings, of which Caccini’s classic Amarilli, mia bella and his daughter’s Ch’amor sia nudo were standouts: limpidly enunciated, gracefully sung and tastefully embellished.

Violinists Sarah Papadopoulos and Eliza McCracken evinced a similarly stylish cantabile approach to playing, shining together with stellar gambist Krista Low in the Marini.

Jet Kye Chong. Photo © Tallulah Chong

Equally impressive was theorbo and guitar player Alexis Chin, who showcased his abundant soloistic abilities early on with Piccinini’s Ciaconna in partite variate. Ditto harpsichordist James Huntingford, whose entertaining account of Alessandro Poglietti’s quirky imitation of nightingale song raised more than a few laughs.

Jet Kye Chong had to sit in the wings until later in the program to add his lively colouristic percussion to the mix. But boy, was it worth the wait, his terpsichorean musicality pairing especially well with Chin’s own percussive strumming on baroque guitar.

The performances aside, Festa Italiana was as good an example of intelligent programming, inventive arrangements and imaginative, if minimal, staging as one could hope to experience anywhere. The bonus was the opportunity for a packed audience to make the acquaintance of some rarely-heard repertoire.

For more information on HIP Company in 2026, visit www.hip.company