KEY POINTS:
James Tibbles traces his passion for baroque music back to the 1970s when, as a schoolboy, he came across Nikolaus Harnoncourt's revelatory recording of Bach's St John Passion.
The young Tibbles would go on to assemble his own clavichord at 16 and develop the skills that saw him, a few weeks ago, enchant a concert chamber audience accompanying Australian viola da gamba player Laura Vaughan in a rarely-heard Bach sonata.
One of the stalwarts of New Zealand's Early Music circles, Tibbles has now initiated The Age of Discovery, an organisation determined to give the Early Music movement a professional edge.
"The time has come to professionalise the administration and, ultimately, the playing of baroque music on authentic instruments," Tibbles explains, "rather than treat this music as something that willing people do in their spare time."
The Age of Discovery has been mounting concerts for a few years now, mostly at Ponsonby's Baptist Church, making use of its historic organ. Tibbles feels it will be the ideal vehicle to ensure that Early Music has a stronger presence in the community.
"The players can then concentrate on what they are equipped to do. Back in the 1970s, Early Music was associated with kaftans, health food and out-of-tune krummhorns. There was the idea that anyone could pick up an instrument and give it a go.
"There is nothing wrong with amateur things but they shouldn't be on the concert platform."
The Age of Discovery's Saturday concert pursues the Italian connection with Vivaldi's Il Gardellino Concerto featuring Sally Tibbles on baroque flute, the chamber choir and orchestra giving us some Italianate Bach and, finally, two rarely-heard Italian motets.
"We are trying to draw the audience to us and not present ourselves to the audience, otherwise you get the 19th century virtuoso aesthetic. It's a tricky balance."
Does he feel there is a danger of seeming overly academic to mainstream punters?
Tibbles understands why there is this potential misunderstanding and Saturday's programme will not feature any daunting, academic fugues. And, as for the Gloria of Bach's Mass, "it's just a great ruckus, really really fun".
The two cantatas will be sung by Jayne Tankersley, who has just returned from seven years of study and work in Boston.
For this soprano, the essence of her art is singing "without the pressure to produce a big sound. The voice doesn't have to produce much volume because of the chamber nature of the ensembles you work with."
Having come back to New Zealand to raise a family, she admits to missing the chitarrone or baroque guitar.
"It adds so much sparkle to this music," adding she still feels her soul lies in Monteverdi.
However, memories of Boston's extremely healthy and entrepreneurial Early Music scene are still fresh, including her role as Ceres in a production of Lully's Thesee. "It was the first time I had done a production on that scale, with such attention to historical detail in costume, gesture and dancing."
Tankersley feels her real calling lies with the Italian baroque and Saturday's two motets - Antonia Bembo's In Braccio di Maria and Maria Xaviera Peruchona's Ad gaudia, ad jubila - were written for Christmas. Both composers were nuns; both write with astounding emotional conviction.
What is more, there can be unexpected connections beyond the Italian.
"The Bembo piece explores the feelings of Mary after the birth of her son with a passion and emotion that I relate to very well, having had children of my own," says Tankersley.
* See The Age of Discovery at the University Music Centre on Saturday at 7:30pm.
