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Hänssler Classic on their ‘Masterpiece Collection’
series have released a set of six of Vivaldi concertos for violin, string
orchestra and basso continuo played by the Ensemble La Partita with Sulamit
Haecki as the director and violin soloist. The first two concertos are
from the early Op. 4 set ‘La Stravaganza’ and the other four concertos
from the later Op. 9 set ‘La Cetra’.
All well played performances of Vivaldi violin concertos
are welcome in my book. Vivaldi’s violin concertos are high quality works
and deserve to be better known as opposed to the vast number of versions
that we are all tripping up over in the record shops of the first four
concertos from his Op. 8 set the ‘Four Seasons’.
From the published set of the dozen violin concertos
Op. 4 collectively known as ‘La Stravaganza’ the violin concerto No. 9,
RV 284 is really a traditional concerto grosso. It has a traditional scoring
for a solo group of 2 violins where a player from the full body of strings
joins the soloist for much of the work (allegro track 1,
point 0:36). The other work from ‘La Stravaganza’ is the violin concerto
No. 12, RV 298 which looks to the true concerto form of a single soloist.
At the time of their publication many critics found the op. 4 concertos
to be very different to the form and style that they had been used to.
It is fair to say that these Vivaldi concertos shook the music world of
his day with harmonic daring and astonishing passage work for the solo
violin. The slow movement largo is particularly serene and on track
5, point 1:05 where in a lyrical passage for the violin the meditative
qualities of the work are clearly displayed.
The remaining four violin concertos contained on this
release are from the Op. 9 set published under the title ‘La Cetra’. Although
one of the complete set calls for two solo violins the four works selected
here are for solo violin. All the concertos are of an extremely uniform
standard containing an abundance of qualities that give distinction to
Vivaldi’s mature style. The listener will find clarity of form, expressive
melodies, rhythmic energy and contrasts and a innate lyricism often rich
in pathos. The allegro at Track 13, point 2:41 provides a good
example of the vitality and freshness of these concertos.
I thoroughly enjoyed the performances of these concertos
from the Ensemble Haecki who play securely and make a truly attractive
sound. Director and soloist Sulamit Haecki was an unfamiliar name to me
but her distinguished playing and appealing tone will stick in my memory
and I shall look out for her on record again. The soloist and ensemble
are clearly in tune with this rewarding repertoire and deliver the six
concertos with expressive depth, a natural fluency, technical security
and perfect balance. Overall their combined advocacy of performance in
these baroque concertos comes close to conveying what I consider to be
an ideal ‘Vivaldian sound’. Another plus factor is the recorded sound
which is very clear and sharply detailed with a warm natural acoustic.
For those who require the complete sets from which these
concertos are taken there are some fine versions available in the CD catalogue.
My favoured version of the complete Op. 4 ‘La Stravaganza’ is the analogue
reading on modern instruments from 1973/74 from the Academy of St. Martin
in the Fields under the direction of Sir Neville Marriner with various
soloists, on Decca Double 444 821-2. Although my particular favourite
is the 1986 digital period performance from The Academy of Ancient Music,
directed by Christopher Hogwood with Monica Huggett as soloist, on Decca’s
L’Oiseau Lyre label which was unfortunately out of the catalogue last
time I looked. With regard to the complete Op. 9 set ‘La Cetra’ my first
choice is the 1986 digital performance on period instruments from the
Raglan Baroque Players directed by Nicholas Kraemer with Monica Huggett
as soloist, on Virgin Veritas 5 61594 2.
I must again state my protest at the lack of information
in the booklet notes. Like several other record companies Hanssler allow
the complete notes to be downloaded from their website. Firstly this assumes
that all listeners are on-line, secondly this can be a pain to undertake
and thirdly who wants to keep A4 size paper notes folded up inside the
CDs jewel case ad infinitum. For me this practice is little to
do with record companies keeping their overheads down and more to do with
wanting the purchaser to visit their website for marketing purposes.
This is indeed a marvellous release from Hänssler
Classic and with playing of this calibre I would really have loved to
have heard the remaining concertos in Vivaldi’s complete sets. However
listeners who require the complete sets of Vivaldi’s Op. 4 ‘La Stravaganza’
and Op.9 ‘ La Cetra’ will have to look elsewhere in the CD catalogue.
Michael Cookson
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Violin Concerto
op. 4, No. 9, RV 284:
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Violin Concerto
op. 4, No. 12, RV 298:
Spiritoso
Largo
Allegro
Violin Concerto
op. 9, No. 3, RV 334:
Allegro
non molto
Largo
Allegro
non molto
Violin Concerto
op. 9, No. 4, RV 263a:
Allegro
non molto
Largo
Allegro
non molto
Violin Concerto
op. 9, No. 8, RV 238:
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
Violin Concerto
op. 9, No. 2, RV 345:
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
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Ensemble La Partita/Sulamit
Haecki (violin) 