Paul Dombrecht brought his period ensemble Il Fondamento to the Renaissance and Baroque Society in Synod Hall Saturday night. Formed in 1989, the 16-member Belgian ensemble performs on period instruments and at period pitch, bringing their performances an aural authenticity that cannot be imitated by modern instruments. Saturday's concert was devoted to Bach's four orchestral suites, which were composed in 1717 while Bach was Kapellmeister at Cothen.

These four suites are seminal works of the Baroque period. Their swirling textures, especially in the fugues of the overtures, showcased Bach's mastery of linear counterpoint. The ensuing movements of each suite highlighted the stylistic breadth of the period and provided a window into Bach's interpretation of the characteristic rhythms of French dances. Il Fondamento's performance of each suite showcased their sophisticated understanding of Bach's harmonic style, resulting in an impeccable pacing for each composition's phrase structure.

Il Fondamento's presentation of the second suite made the strongest argument for the current re-evaluation of these works within Bach's oeuvre. Recent scholarship has uncovered evidence that the second suite underwent a hefty re-orchestration by Bach for performances in Leipzig with the Collegium Musicum. Through investigations of Bach's notations on these surviving parts, it is now strongly presumed that the well-known version in b-minor featuring the flute is actually Bach's re-orchestration and transposition of his original work from 1717, which was ostensibly composed for violin in the string-friendly key of a-minor.

Violinist Dirk Vandaele carried Il Fondemento through its striking performance of the second suite's original scoring, achieving a perfect dynamic balance with the rest of the ensemble, and maintaining his role of the leading voice without turning the suite into a violin feature. This was most pronounced in the final "Badineire." In this convincing setting, the dance's famous tune attained a subtlety to its line that is lacking by comparison in the better-known version for flute. Supporting Vandaele's pure tone, principal second violin Jivka Kaltcheva and principal viola Marc Claes provided exquisite voicing of the suite's inner parts. Their importance to the ensemble's cohesiveness was especially revealed through the shadow-like cadence points of the "Bouree." Through the plaintive, yet resigned presentation of the "Sarabande," the ensemble proved their ability to communicate with each other, and gave this slow movement its necessary sense of flowing through time.

The third suite in D-major, also a subject of revision and scholarly re-evaluation, contains one of the most famous movements in the Baroque repertoire. Vandaele and company performed the second movement's "Air" in an expressively understated way that resonated with the style of the period. Vandaele played on top of the ensemble's supporting harmonic current, allowing the harmony itself to carry the emotive weight of this famous melody. Despite some initial intonation flaws in the cellos, this movement was the highlight of the suite. The presentation in Bach's original scoring without wind accompaniment allowed Guy Penson's well-planned harpsichord figurations to stand out in the "Gavotte."

Il Fondamento is in the middle of a taxing two-week North American tour. Some performance fatigue was evident in the opening first suite, and the group needed some time to find its artistic groove. The temporal return to the overture's initial material was clunky by comparison to the same moments in the ensuing suites. The reeds -- three oboes and a bassoon -- suffered from intonation discrepancies in the "Bouree." Despite this, however, bassoonist Jane Gower's virtuosic prowess on the instrument was clearly evident in this C-major suite and the final suite in D-major. The reeds all found their balance in the fourth suite, especially its concluding "Rejouissance."