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Cynics may quip that Vivaldi wrote one concerto and copied
it several hundred times, but serious listening to a collection of his
works will reveal an amazing variety of ideas and colors, each work showing
that the prolific composer was not short on originality. The prolificacy
was born out of sheer necessity of course, as Vivaldi was charged with
the education of quite a horde of orphaned girls whom he tutored at the
Ospedale della Pieta in Venice. The craft and virtuosity of these
many concerti is testament to the quality of education that the "Red
Priest" provided.
Regrettably, classical radio has relegated the instrumental
works of Vivaldi and his colleagues to the realm of musical wallpaper.
We have become so accustomed to hearing baroque concerti played ad nauseum
for "driving home" fare, that we have been conditioned to forget
to actually listen to this music. This is a shame, as these works, and
hundreds like them, contain some splendid invention; the slow movements
are often as passionate as any work from the romantic era.
This recital of flute concerti is taken entirely from
opus 10, and three have descriptive titles. "Il Gardellino"
(the goldfinch) earns its nickname from the birdsong-like runs and trills
of its opening movement. (Track 1, in its entirety) Note the composer’s
ingenious way of taking the birdsong and adapting it into the idiomatic
solo writing of the time. Peter-Lukas Graf, playing a modern instrument,
tosses off a joyous and elegant performance. "La tempesta di mare"
(storm at sea) is supposed to depict the rolling and tossing of the
ocean. The music itself is not to blame, but from this performance, we
are watching a mild depression, not a squall. The tempi are too stodgy
and the string playing is too thick and heavy to give us much of an impression
of anything stormy (Track 7, in its entirety). The occasional flawed unison
in the orchestra hampers things a bit as well. The third named concerto,
"Il notte" (night) depicts nocturnal activities and a
few things that go bump. Of particular note here is track 17, "Il
sonno" (sleep). The music is achingly beautiful with its series
of static somewhat dissonant chords and dreamy solo flute melody.
On the whole there is nothing about this performance
about which one can either rip or rave. It is not bereft of charming moments,
and Graf’s flute solos are elegant and competent. Alas, stiff playing
from the orchestra, a somewhat monotonous lack of articulation and forward
motion and generally non-committal playing hamper the overall affect of
the music. That this music has become over-recorded in recent years doesn’t
help this disc much, given that there are so many other choices that are
more exciting, from Rampal to any number of Baroque specialty orchestras
that clutter major music centers.
Cover art is attractive, notes are perfunctory, and the
recorded sound is adequate with a nice bloom to the sound. If you get
this disc as a gift, keep it and enjoy it, but it is not one that should
go anyone’s must-buy-today list.
Kevin Sutton
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FREE SOUND SAMPLES
(minimum 30 secs)
CDTnº1 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in D major Op.10/3 'Il Gardellino' RV 428
CDTnº2 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in D major Op.10/3 'Il Gardellino' RV 428
CDTnº3 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in D major Op.10/3 'Il Gardellino' RV 428
CDTnº4 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in A major RV 440
CDTnº5 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in A major RV 440
CDTnº6 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in A major RV 440
CDTnº7 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in F major Op.10/1 RV 433
CDTnº8 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in F major Op.10/1 RV 433
CDTnº9 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in F major Op.10/1 RV 433
CDTnº10 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in C minor RV 441
CDTnº11 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in C minor RV 441
CDTnº12 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in C minor RV 441
CDTnº13 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in G minor Op.10/2 RV 439
CDTnº14 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in G minor Op.10/2 RV 439
CDTnº15 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in G minor Op.10/2 RV 439
CDTnº16 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in G minor Op.10/2 RV 439
CDTnº17 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in G minor Op.10/2 RV 439
CDTnº18 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in G minor Op.10/2 RV 439
CDTnº19 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in G major RV 436
CDTnº20 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in G major RV 436
CDTnº21 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in G major RV 436
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Peter-Lukas Graf, flute 