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Antonio Vivaldi was one
of the first composers to gain from the
revival of interest in baroque music in
the 1960s. It was the Italian ensemble
I Musici which spent time and energy interpreting
and recording his instrumental works.
When the historical performance practice
won ground in the 1970s and 1980s it was
Vivaldi again who benefited from it. Gradually
ensembles from outside Italy took the
lead in playing and recording Vivaldi's
concertos. Then the 1990s saw the emergence
of Italian ensembles playing period instruments
and interpreting Italian music on the
basis of the principles of the historical
performance practice. One could even get
the impression that the interpretation
of Vivaldi's music had become the exclusive
right of Italian ensembles like Il Giardino
Armonico, Europa Galante, Concerto Italiano
and others. But ensembles from other countries
have continued to play Vivaldi, as the
present recording by the British ensemble
La Serenissima proves.
And Vivaldi's music continues
to be very popular among interpreters
and audiences alike. Right now even, a
recording of Vivaldi's complete works
is in progress. But although the number
of recordings with Vivaldi's music is
considerable it is not impossible to find
some pieces which haven't been played
and recorded over and over again.
This disc contains some
concertos which belong to the lesser known
of the 'red priest'. They are brought
together under the title 'Vivaldi in Arcadia'.
In his liner notes Adrian Chandler explains
the importance of pastoral motifs in the
music of the baroque. He refers to the
rediscovery of the classical poets Theocritus
and Virgil, "whose poetry created a strong
interest in Arcadia, a mountainous and
wooded part of the Peloponnese peopled
by gods, spirits, nymphs and pastoral
folk." Vivaldi's sonnets for The Four
Seasons contain pastoral imagery which
is rooted in the works of poets like Guarini
(Il Pastor Fido) and Tasso (Aminta).
One of the pieces which
clearly reflects the composer's interest
in pastoral motifs is the Concerto in
D (RV 95) which is nicknamed 'La Pastorella'.
Originally it was conceived for recorder,
oboe, violin, bassoon and bc. Adrian Chandler
refers to the fact that recorder and oboe
were traditionally associated with pastoral
subjects. Therefore it is rather strange
that in this recording Vivaldi's alternative
scoring for three violins, cello and bc
has been chosen. To some extent this undermines
the link to the subject of 'Arcadia'.
And this is exactly one
of the minuses of this recording. The
connection of most concertos on this recording
with 'Arcadia' is rather thin. Adrian
Chandler refers to the fact that the violin
was "symbolically interchangeable with
the lyre" - an instrument connected to
Apollo. But then he goes on by saying
that "Apollo is not primarily a figure
of Arcadia". Therefore the connection
of concertos for one or more violins with
'Arcadia' seems rather far-fetched. As
a result the choice of music for a recording
with this subject is a little arbitrary.
The inclusion of three
arias from Vivaldi's opera ‘Dorilla in
Tempe’ – first performed in 1726 - is
more appropriate, though. The story of
the opera can be easily linked to the
subject. But only one of the three arias
is by Vivaldi. When ‘Dorilla in Tempe’
was performed again in 1734 Vivaldi replaced
several arias of his own by arias written
by more ‘modern’ composers, like Hasse
and Giacomelli, two of which are performed
here.
I am just as sceptical
about the performance as I am about the
way the concept has been realised. Let
me start by saying that I liked the contributions
of Mhairi Lawson. She does very well realising
the different character of the three arias
(by three different characters in the
opera). She uses a little too much vibrato
for my taste, but I enjoyed her ornamentation.
It is the string playing
which causes me trouble. The general approach
is rather straightforward, with too little
variety within movements and too little
contrast between phrases. Two of the concertos
on this disc, RV 551 and 564, have been
recorded by Il Giardino Armonico (Teldec).
The difference is striking: the Italians
produce a broader range of colours and
apply a larger dynamic contrast between
phrases, within phrases, and even on single
notes by using the 'messa di voce'. It
is perhaps appropriate to say that La
Serenissima underlines the virtuoso character
and the rhythmic drive of these concertos,
whereas Il Giardino Armonico with its
strong 'gestural' performance displays
the theatrical character of Vivaldi's
music.
The playing in itself
is quite brilliant, and the choice of
tempi generally satisfying. But I find
it rather wearisome, which is the result
of too little differentiation in dynamics
- there is too much 'forte' and too little
'piano' - and of the too uniform treatment
of the notes.
I would recommend this
recording because of the three vocal items,
but otherwise only to those who like this
approach to Vivaldi’s music. The interpretation
of La Serenissima is a very good specimen
of the British art of performing Vivaldi.
I personally prefer hearing Vivaldi the
Italian way.
Johan van Veen
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Track nº1 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto in G, RV 575
Track nº2 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in G, RV 575
Track nº3 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in G, RV 575
Track nº4 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
'La Pastorella' in D, RV 95
Track nº5 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
'La Pastorella' in D, RV 95
Track nº6 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
'La Pastorella' in D, RV 95
Track nº7 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in F, RV 551
Track nº8 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in F, RV 551
Track nº9 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in F, RV 551
Track nº10 - A. VIVALDI
Arias
from 'Dorilla in Tempe', RV 709
Track nº11 - A. VIVALDI
Arias
from 'Dorilla in Tempe', RV 709
Track nº12 - A. VIVALDI
Arias
from 'Dorilla in Tempe', RV 709
Track nº13 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in Bb, RV 553
Track nº14 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in Bb, RV 553
Track nº15 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in Bb, RV 553
Track nº16 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in A, RV 520
Track nº17 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in A, RV 520
Track nº18 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in A, RV 520
Track nº19 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in D, RV 564
Track nº20 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in D, RV 564
Track nº21 - A. VIVALDI
Concerto
in D, RV 564
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Mhairi Lawson, soprano (*) 