Handel,
Vivaldi and Sammartini:
Viktoria Mullova (violin) with 'Il Giardino
Armonico' conducted by Giovanni Antonini. The
Sage, Gateshead, 12.10.2005 (JP)
Georg Frideric Handel: Concerto
Grosso in G Minor Op.6 No.6 Antonio Vivaldi:
Violin Concerto in C Major RV187
Giuseppe Sammartini: Flute Concerto in F
Major
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Four Violins
in RV580
Giuseppe Sammartini: Concerto Grosso in
A
Minor, Op.5, No.4
Antonio Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in D Major
RV208 - Grosso Mogul
Last night a relatively large audience, given
the nature of the concert and the foul weather outside, gave
a well deserved and rapturous welcome to its visitors from
Milan along with
their Russian virtuoso soloist. In the middle of a nation-wide
tour, publicising their latest collaboration on a CD of Vivaldi
violin concerti, 'Il Giardino Armonico' and Viktoria Mullova
performed three Vivaldi works, interspersed with others by
Sammartini and Handel.
'Il Giardino Armonico', last night
in string mode only, sounded magnificent and much of their
impact must be credited to the superb acoustic of the Sage
concert hall. In spite of small numbers (4 first violins,
4 seconds, 1 viola, 2 cellos, double bass, harpsichord and
lute), their sound filled the hall effortlessly.
Viktoria Mullova, playing
her Stradivarius restrung with gut and using a baroque bow,
sounded superb with neither fingerboard noise nor untidy playing
to mar the effect of Vivaldi’s inspiration in the concerti.
For the Concerto for Four Violins in B Minor , the
first violins of the orchestra regrouped around the conductor
with Mullova playing as lead first.
For Sammartini's
“Flute Concerto”, the group's conductor Giovanni
Antonini was the soloist, playing not a flute, but a recorder
on which he was similarly expert. The whole concert was extremely
enjoyable, spoiled somewhat only by the antics of Antonini's
conducting and playing:he obviously comes from both “The School
of Silly Faces” and “I’m a conductor because I practise in
front of a Mirror” training academies. Because of his performance
style, one unintentionally amusing aspect to the concert occurred
during Antonini's solo recorder playing, when he was facing
away from the orchestra with no audible effect at all on their
playing. The audience then received the full frontal benefit
of his movements however, which made him seem like a caricature
of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Most of the real work had
clearly been done in rehearsal, and the members of the orchestra
all played like inspired soloists in their own right. Many
seemed to ignore Signor Antonini's antics from the front,
and just got on on with giving the audience what they had
come to hear – a superb concert in every way. The only time
when the discipline gave way at all was when they were taking
their bow to the well deserved applause: their corporate acknowledgement
looked like a poorly executed Mexican Wave.
Two short uncredited encores were also given
by Viktoria Mullova and her orchestra, which left the audience
totally satisfied. I sincerely hope that this concert tour
goes on as successfully as it did last night. The concert-going
public of the Gateshead and Newcastle area had a treat, and
if this standard of performance is replicated around the country,
'Il Giardino Armonico' , their soloist and classical music
will all be the winners.
John Phillips
