Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741)
Concerto ‘La Notte’ in G minor RV104
Concerto for guitar in D major RV93
Concerto in F major RV100
Concerto in D major RV92
Francesco MANCINI (1672-1737)
Sonata No.4 in A minor
Alessandro SCARLATTI (1660-1725)
Sonata No.9 in A minor
Concordi Musici (Leonard Munsuk Kwon (recorder), Rebecca Huber, Tomasz Plusa
(violins), Ji Yun Kang (cello), Josep Casadella (bassoon), Cristian Gutierrez
(guitar, theorbo), Eduardo Valorz (harpsichord))
rec. 23-24 March 2010, Oud-Katholieke Kerk, Delft
AUDIOGUY RECORDS AGCD 0022 [55:53]
As external bookings manager for an international music conservatoire, I’m
regularly given demo CDs which are useful for hearing what students are up
to. It’s less frequent that someone approaches me with a genuinely commercial
product, so when recorder player Leonard Kwon handed me this nicely produced
and highly professional CD I was more than interested.
Music education at the highest level is such that anyone who is going to ‘make
it’ has probably already ‘made it’ while still registered somewhere as a student.
When I was at the Royal Academy of Music we had people like Evelyn Glennie
still practising in the corridors, so the sense of ‘you heard it here first’
is always present at that kind of institution. I know most of the musicians
who are listed on this recording, and while some have already graduated there
are still a few finishing off their Master degree or other postgraduate studies
at the time of writing. This is therefore an indication of things to come,
both in terms of a new looking record label with audiophile ambitions and
the newest generation of leading early music professionals. I would also add
that this is by no means a vanity review or a cliquey puff. I always stick
to the principle that, with all due respect to polecats, if something smells
like a polecat then I will say it smells like a polecat. This is a recording
which I am delighted to say can stand comparison with the best in its field,
and is in no way smelly in any regard.
Extensive notes in Italian appear by harpsichord player Eduardo Valorz, and
a more compact commentary by Leonard Kwon in the English section of the booklet
notes. This could have done with a little expert editing, but has some helpful
indicators and mentions that the composers on this programme have been chosen
as being amongst the highest regarded in Venice and Naples in the 18th
century. For many people I’m sure the word ‘Concerto’ conjures up an image
of a larger ensemble than just four players and a soloist. It can come as
something of a surprise to hear how full and satisfying such a compact band
can sound, but those old composers knew what they were doing, and the instrumentation
is designed to obtain the maximum effect from a minimum of means. Comparing
Vivaldi’s famous Concerto ‘La Notte’ with another distinguished example,
I was interested to hear how much difference there would be between Dan Laurin’s
recording with the Drottingholm Baroque Ensemble on BIS-CD-635. This has a
double bass instead of the bassoon and theorbo to reinforce the lower lines,
and this can give a more emphatic foundation to the entire sound. I do like
the bassoon’s extra little ‘filler’ comments at the end of the second Largo
movement and, other than a more rounded resonance the difference is ultimately
not so great. Laurin is more adventurous with his ornamentation of the lines
in this movement and plays with a more individualistic character than Kwon
in general, adding vibrato and all kinds of other tricks. Whether you prefer
this will be down to a question of taste. Some may feel Laurin goes too far
in this direction, and such extra gilding can be more of a burden than a benefit
for repeated listening rather than in the ‘vibe’ of a live concert. Where
Concordi Musici’s recording has its advantages is in the nice little touches
through the continuo parts, the various plucked strings adding subtle decoration
and resonance throughout. Kwon proves his chops in the demanding central presto,
and the delicate dissonances of the Il sonno movement are well shaped,
if a little loose in terms of vertical ensemble discipline on a few of the
shifts. This is a very good beginning however, and the promise of ‘La notte’
is delivered on in the rest of the recording.
In a well planned programme, the recorder pieces are contrasted nicely with
a well played Concerto in D major RV93 with guitar soloist Cristian
Gutierrez picking his way nimbly around Vivaldi’s complex figurations. The
baroque guitar has a smaller resonance than the modern instrument, with harmonics
which reflect the narrower shape of the body. This is a nice sound however.
The beautiful central Andante largo is very atmospheric, and the outer
movements have plenty of masculine Mediterranean strumming which comes across
very effectively in this recording.
All of the other Vivaldi concertos are played with equal verve and character,
the bassoon adding pungency to the bass lines, and the harpsichord continuo
given just the right amount of crisp presence. With an excellent stereo spread
and high definition for all of the instruments in these recordings, the only
slight disappointment in terms of the production is the change in set-up given
to the Sonata No.4 in A minor by Francesco Mancini. This is given a
different recorded perspective for some reason, with the harpsichord rather
narrow and recessed; the recorder now placed more to the right and bassoon
to the left. This is by no means a bad recording, but compared against the
generosity of air and lightness of touch with the instrumental colours in
the other pieces it doesn’t have quite the same all-embracing attractiveness.
The final work on the disc, Alessandro Scarlatti’s Sonata No.9 in A minor
uses all instrumental forces and we’re back in business with the balance
for the Vivaldi concertos. This is a piece with some magnificent moments:
the climax of the energetic central Fuga is highly uplifting, and there
is plenty of wit and a great sense of fun in the final Allegro.
Initial availability for this release is likely to be a little patchy due
to its Korean label’s position, though I’m told the CD will have wider distribution
and mainstream download options which can easily be found. More information
on Concordi Musici can be seen on their website.
This is an ensemble which deserves every success, and I commend their debut
recording wholeheartedly.
Dominy Clements
Wholeheartedly commended.