Canberra International Music Festival | Folías de España
Friday 1 May, 2026, Gandel Hall, National Gallery of Australia, ACT
Lina Tur Bonet, violin
Neal Peres Da Costa, harpsichord
Folías del Fuego
I first heard Spanish violinist Lina Tur Bonet in late 2024, after we had newly arrived to live in Canberra. On tour with Musica Viva Australia, Lina led her world-class ensemble Musica Alchemica, a hand picked group of some of the best historically informed musicians around the world. It was a treat and we waited for two years for Lina to return to Canberra. This concert was the top pick of the Canberra International Music Festival for me this year. I was nearly stopped in my tracks due to the original choice (a very dry and very unsuitable event space at the National Gallery of Australia), but thankfully it was moved to the acoustically appropriate Gandel Hall – mostly thanks to Lina’s persuasive actions with the venue staff. Paul Kildea of Musica Viva calls Lina the ‘Kate Bush of early music’ and she certainly owns a stage.
Lina performs with a fearless, focused passion. She performs with a combination of flamenco-ish movement and virtuosity on the violin, but the movement is not extreme or a distraction from the music. Her skill in dynamic control from lilting, mournful melodies to fiery embellishment is a joy to watch. She draws you in and embodies the music of the Spanish baroque. To quote the program notes, ’Spanish Baroque music thrives on contrast, flair and sensuality. It blends courtly sophistication with the earthy pulse of popular dance traditions.’
Lina and Sydney harpsichordist Neal Peres Da Costa presented a beautifully curated program of Spanish and Spanish-influenced music for our afternoon concert at the Gallery. Opening the program was a Sonata Terza by Bartolomé de Selma y Salaverde. As a recorder player, I always loved playing and embellishing Fontana’s Sonata Terza so was looking forward to a similar style of piece. This compositional structure is a stylus phastasticus, which is a long form, highly improvised and embellished work with rapid changes in tempo, mood and meter. Lina and Neal performed with a slow, subtle elegance building with each virtuosic variation. It was a great start to a program of Folías – virtuosity, variation and visceral expressive freedom.
Lina spoke after the first work to inform of a change in program – an addition of a solo Scarlatti work for Neal. The second work on the program was Scarlatti’s Sonata in Re Minore K.90, originally for solo keyboard but arranged for violin and harpsichord. An excellent performance of Spanish-flavoured Italian brilliance. Moving swiftly into the La Vinciolina of Giovanni Pandolfi Meali, a jazzy and sephardic journey, with the most incredible slow movement, with impeccable intonation on the violin, leading into a wild Spanish dance with castanets heard in the violin and harpsichord.
José de Herrando’s El Jardin de Aranjuez added a galant and at times raucous reprieve from the heavy Meali for the halfway point of the concert. Lina and Neal leaned into the call and response playful nature of the work and at times imbued a courtly brass band at the scene of una Batalla. Neal then added his solo Scarlatti, a reverent, delicate and intricate Andante for solo harpsichord, with virtuosic and emotive playing that was very well received by the audience.
Andrea Falconiero’s La Soave Melodia e la sua Corrente welcomed Lina back to the stage with the most beautiful and mournful melody, with the violin elegantly soaring over the harpsichord with impeccable lyricism. Lina’s control and poise was mesmerising. The fiery Corrente finished the work with some toe tapping from our violinist and several audience members.
The final work, and the main reason for my attendance and the title of today’s performance, was Arcangelo Corelli’s La Folia (‘Folias de España’). I have played this piece many times but to have the privilege to hear Lina Tur Bonet perform this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The performance was a showstopper and had the audience on the edge of their seats. I don’t think I have heard Neal play faster on the harpsichord as he did in this performance! The balance of dynamic, drama, style and emotional range was fantastic, and the music was brought to life by these two exceptionally talented musicians. Excellent communication, gestures and the joy of the music was decisively on display.
I am so pleased we were able to hear this performance in the acoustic of the Gandel Hall. A festival highlight for me and I’m sure for the audience.
5 stars!
Photo credit: Dalice Trost
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