THE BOTTOM LINE AT ST. PHILIP'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, APRIL 23, 2002

   The Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music presented the string ensemble
The Bottom Line in a concert featuring Baroque composers who, with the
exception of J. S. Bach, were involved with the music at the court of 
Louis XIV at Versailles. Members of the ensemble were the world-renowned 
gambist, Paolo Pandolfo, with Guido Baldestracci on viola da gamba and 
Thomas Boysen on lute and theorbo. Selections on the program were written 
by Francois Couperin, Bach, Robert de Visee and the famous French virtuoso 
of the viola da gamba, Marin Marais. 

   Though only three performers, this ensemble produced an incredible
sound--at times subtle, at times massive, but always passionate. And
underlying everything was the undeniably brilliant playing of Paolo
Pandolfo. All of the pieces were wonderful; however, those by Marais
seemed to stand out this evening. Particularly notable were his "La
Georgiennne", with its biting dissonance and strong pauses; "La Guitarre",
where the gambist strummed the instrument just like a guitar; and
"Le Tableau de l'Operation de la Taille", with its progammatic description
of an actual operation that some historians believe Marais actually
underwent himself. 

   This performance, like most of those presented by MA'AM, was first
rate--and that, my friends, is the Bottom Line!

                                                             - Frank T. Laney