Concert Review: They're Going for Baroque

A revived Renaissance rock Town Hall.

by Paul J. Pelkonen

Rave Tesar, Annie Haslam and Mark Lambert of Renaissance.
Photo by the author.

The history of England's progressive rock bands can be labyrinthine, with musicians slipping in and out of lineups, changes of artistic direction and fallow periods as long-running acts dealt with the rise of punk, disco, new wave and the unremitting hostility of the music press. Renaissance are one of those bands, and on Saturday night, they returned to the stage of Town Hall armed with six members and a chamber orchestra. The show, billed as Renaissance: A Symphonic Journey was their first Manhattan stage appearance in five years,