![]() ![]() Next came Vivaldi’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin in B-flat Major, RV 548. The two violoncello soloists were joined in the Largo by the continuo cello, here played by William Skeen. Heard in both the first and final movements are what the Germans termed Schwärmer (“swarmers”) due to the buzzing effect notable, for example, in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, where the buzzing of bees is clearly evoked. The two soloists are equals here, each opening the piece with brilliant passagework. Once again the violoncello soloists were Phoebe Carral and Keiran Campbell. It was exciting to hear the Blumenstock-Youssefian violin duo offer tantalizing musical figures for the Carral-Campbell violoncello duo to take up and counter.Īfter intermission, conductor Nicholas McGegan opened the concert’s second half with Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violoncellos in G minor, RV 531. As Bruce Lamott’s program notes indicate, “this concerto is more accurately a contest between two duos, each locked in parallel thirds.” The violins form one duo, the violoncellos form the other duo and these two groups trade ideas back and forth in lockstep. In this work the violin soloists were Elizabeth Blumenstock and Alana Youssefian, and the violoncello soloists were Phoebe Carral and Keiran Campbell. To close out the first half of this concert, Philharmonia Baroque performed Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violins and Two Violoncellos in G Major, RV 575. However, Ruiz and Dickey were especially lovely to hear in the gentle Largo. Here the two soloists are not quite equals, as the second oboist always plays below the first oboist. The piece opens with a dialogue between the two soloists, gently accompanied by cello and bass. For this item on Sunday’s program, the oboe soloists were Gonzalo X. Vivaldi wrote twenty concertos for solo oboe in addition to concertos for two and three oboes. As teacher, composer, and conductor at Venice’s Ospedale della Pietà, Vivaldi was kept busy providing new music for the many public concerts offered by the Pietà’s young nuns. Next on the program was Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Oboes in D minor, RV 535. After a lively opening Allegro, the poignant Largo featured a lilting siciliana, followed by a final Allegro that offered Blumenstock and Youssefian exciting passagework and stratospheric leaps. In this regard, the fluency of interplay between the veteran Elizabeth Blumenstock and the young Alana Youssefian was a joy to hear. Here the soloists, Elizabeth Blumenstock and Alana Youssefian, traded passages on an equal basis, with the responding soloist taking an assertive role in developing ideas first presented by the lead violinist. In Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violins in C Major, RV 507, the listener was struck immediately by the equal treatment accorded the two violin soloists. However, this is exactly what happened as soon as the program shifted focus to Vivaldi. 7 or that made the listener perk up the ears and pay close attention to exciting musical developments. ![]() All well and good but there was little that stood out in Corelli’s Concerto Grosso Op. Corelli also added shadings of fast and slow, as well as soft (piano) and loud (forte) to give his concertos dynamic contrasts. As played by Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra on period instruments, Corelli’s model of a concerto was evident: a solo group of instruments alternated with the larger instrumental ensemble or tutti. Performed here was Corelli’s Concerto Grosso Op.6, No. A generation older than Vivaldi, Corelli (1653-1713) was the first important composer of concertos. In this respect, and in many others, Vivaldi was a key figure in the transition from late Baroque to early Classical style.Īs if to highlight the significance of Vivaldi ((1678-1741), Philharmonia Baroque’s concert began with a piece not by Vivaldi but by his predecessor Arcangelo Corelli. One only had to listen well to Sunday’s concert, November 11, at Berkeley’s First Congregational Church to understand why Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra entitled its series of concerts celebrating Antonio Vivaldi’s music “Vivaldi the Teacher.” In his insistence on giving a distinct musical voice to a soloist or soloists over against an instrumental tutti, Vivaldi paved the way for the development of the concerto. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |