by Daniel Hathaway
As their name implies, the rarefied music of the French baroque is the pain quotidien of Cleveland’s period instrument ensemble Les Délices, but artistic director Debra Nagy occasionally points her excellent and variable group in other directions.
The latest crossing of genres at West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday afternoon, April 27, took Nagy and her colleagues out of the salons of Paris across the Channel to the docks of Portsmouth.
Wielding her baroque oboe and recorder, Nagy joined soprano Elena Mullins Bailey, violinist Allison Monroe, cellist Rebecca Landell, percussionist Anthony Taddeo, and special guest Sean Dagher, shantyman and Irish bouzouki artist, in slightly more than an hour’s worth of rollicking sea shanties, plus oceanic tunes by Henry Purcell, Joseph Haydn, and Maurice Green.
This was an informal program: Nagy referred to its origins in “the golden age of sail…roughly 1650-1840,” and encouraged the audience to “Clap when you want to, and sing if you’re moved.”
The first of eight sections, Saying Farewells, addressed itself to landlubbers in the 1784 tune “To you who live at home at ease,” followed by “The Boatman” (aka “The Bonny Scot”), expressively sung by Elena Mullins Bailey with nice fiddle filigree from Allison Monroe.
The sea shanty “Randy dandy oh” introduced the striking declamation of Seán Dagher, and “Haul on the Bowline” featured vocals with recorder and fiddle solos in the section Working By Day.
Fiddling by night was especially attractive for the 1793 Edinburgh tune “John come kiss me now.” Beginning with a slow, soothing intro by Monroe, the tempo picked up with the lively percussive rhythms of Anthony Taddeo’s variations. Nagy joined the mix for the country dance, “The Mermaid.” Meanwhile, at home… marked the end of day with “At setting day, and rising morn,” featuring vocals by Mullins Bailey and Monroe, and a fantastic oboe obligato by Nagy, who stayed on for her solo role in Henry Purcell’s “If love’s a sweet passion.”
Dagher delighted with Listen up, boys! which began with “Stormalong,” a song about a tall, mythical sailor who wears small ships for shoes. Taddeo joined him, providing drum beats in “Captain Ward and the Rainbow” and fine solos during instrumental interludes.
Nagy’s recorder introduction to “Tide’s come in, Babby’s Fancy,” inspired a series of smart and snappy dance tunes. Then it was time for Dagher, the master storyteller, to narrate the program’s title song, “The Mermaid,” complete with striking percussion by Taddeo and a festive group sing at the end.
Fever Dreams featured a sea tune by Haydn arranged by Nagy, and a splendid arrangement of “The Mermaid’s Song” for violin, recorder, and cello.
Nearing the end of the program, Clear Skies reflected every sailor’s dream in a valedictory vocal ensemble performance of “Goodbye, fare-ye-well” led by Dagher. The instrumental ensemble had fun with “Fisher’s Rant, Of She Goyes,” Nagy leading off with her recorder until Taddeo ratcheted up the tempo.
In “Leave her Johnny, leave her,” Dagher declared, “She’s no fun. No booze. We’d be better off in jail and smuggle in some ale.”
Reunited brought this jolly collection of seafaring tunes to a conclusion with Maurice Green’s soft “Fair Sally,” sung by Mullins Bailey, and Landell introduced the full ensemble finale, “Good Night and joy be wi’ ye á,” each player taking a solo turn.
Of course an encore was demanded — and supplied. During “Haul away,” Rebecca Landell’s daughter made a delightful cameo appearance, taking a bow on behalf of the whole company.
Les Délices’ brilliant transformation into a pub band on Sunday begs the question: why not set up a standing gig at one of Cleveland’s watering holes? They’d be a sensation!
Published on ClevelandClassical.com May 20, 2025.
Click here for a printable copy of this article
