Somnambulation in the West Village

Last week I reported to the Church of St. Luke in the Fields, in the West Village, to see Sonnambula, a new viol consort that I've mentioned a couple of times on this blog but hadn't had a chance to hear live. The setting was uncommonly pleasant; St. Luke's is one of the loveliest small churches in New York, set amid green spaces and cut off from Sex in the City tour buses. Sonnambula, which was founded by Elizabeth Weinfield, aims to present little-played repertory for "large and diverse consorts of viols." Their latest program, titled "Splendors of the Spanish Renaissance," was more intimate in scale, with Weinfield joined by the viol-players John Mark Rozendaal and Rebekah Ahrendt, the recorder- and dulcian-player Rachel Begley, and the tenor James Kennerley. Nonetheless, the group produced a warm, full sound in two recercadas by Diego Ortiz, Cabezón's Diferencias sobre el canto llano del caballero, and various canciónes and villancicos. Unfortunately, the Montreal-based lutenist Esteban La Rotta, who had been announced for the program, fell foul of visa problems. I'd earlier encountered Kennerley in his capacity as the organist and music director of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, and wrote about him in my "Cheap Seats" column of 2009. He turns out to be an excellent, true-toned singer, even if, as he admitted during the concert, his Spanish delivery is a touch Anglicized. I look forward to Sonnambula's future perambulations.