Francesco GEMINIANI (1687-1762)
Concerto Grosso in D minor H143 “La Folia” [11:30]
Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741)
Violin Concerto in D major RV 211 [14:12]
Violin Concerto in E-flat major RV 257 [10:56]
Violin Concerto in B minor RV 386 [11:55]
Violin Concerto in B-flat major RV 583 [3:55]
Nicola Benedetti (violin)
Benedetti Baroque Orchestra
rec. 17-20 December 2020, Battersea Arts Centre, London.
DECCA 485 1891 [52:26]
Nicola Benedetti has a name for recording attractive mixed programmes of one kind or another, including The Silver Violin (review) and Italia (review), as well as a wide variety of repertoire both core and more off the beaten track. With this album she goes full Baroque, having gathered together her own suitably expert band of musicians from ensembles such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Academy of Ancient Music. Benedetti admits to a certain trepidation when first embarking on this period and period-style playing of such music, describing her first meeting and music-making with Andrea Marcon, founder of the Venice Baroque Orchestra. “This music must be stepped into like you are stepping into an opera. We musicians are all acting, all giving and taking demonstratively and with fervour... It is not enough to play the rhythm, we strive to understand it. The theme at the opening of the D major concerto isn’t just a D major chord, but rather a grand entrance of fanfare and opulence. The final movement of the Concerto in E-flat is a hunt; the B minor concerto, a love dispute gone wrong.”
Geminiani’s Concerto Grosso in D minor is based on his teacher Corelli’s Sonata Op. 5 No. 12, ‘La Folia’, and this famous theme will probably be the most familiar thing you encounter in this programme. The concerto grosso format allows for “an intensification of drama and heartbreaking emotion” in this work, its variations on the theme taking us on a remarkable journey over its relatively short duration.
The Vivaldi concertos chosen are less familiar, but all the more welcome for it. Benedetti’s affection for this composer and these works is palpably audible in these performances, all of which are vibrant and compelling, with much plangent beauty in the slow movements. The recording balance is very well managed, with clarity from the soloist without being overly spotlit, there is plenty of pungent rhythmic input from the continuo which includes both lute and harpsichord, and tightly disciplined and elegantly phrased musicianship all round. There is a sense of engagement and fun about these performances, but also a great deal of respect for the quality of Vivaldi’s music. While there is a great deal of character in the playing, there are no odd mannerisms or excessively florid ornamentation to irritate the listener on repeated listening.
Nicola Benedetti concludes her booklet note humbly, “…this was a plunge in the deep end for me, to choose to direct a new ensemble of individuals without the comfort of someone else’s vision or name… Dare to try, and if we are free and daring enough, our collective experience only deepens.” Well, without ditching her refined and expressive tone or seeming to stretch in finding her feet in this genre of music, Benedetti has certainly found a new dimension to her repertoire, and very well done it is too.
Dominy Clements
Previous review: Brian Wilson
