Texte paru dans: / Appeared in: Naïve |
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Reviewer: Colin
Clarke
These fresh, joyous
performances from the period instrument Accademia Bizantina of two corpus of
works from Vivaldi deserve more attention. It is actually Volume 56 of
naïve’s ongoing Vivaldi Edition, and the string concertos disc is the third
such; the first two volumes were performed by the Concerto Italiano under
Alessandrini. Founded in 1983 in an attempt to transfer the intimacy and
unanimity of attack of chamber forces to a larger ensemble, the Accademia
Bizantina is a fine group, a model of tight playing and transparent
textures.
It is surprising that there
are so few competitors for the string concertos, for which one is forced to
posit the absence of soloistic glitz and glamour. Yet, a straight
run-through of the first disc (just over 66 minutes) is hardly a chore as
long as one leaves one’s solo virtuoso showpiece expectations on the
doorstep. The idea of the ripieno concerto may not appeal to everyone, but
the Accademia Bizantina makes the best possible case for these little
jewels. That beacon of early music some decades ago, I Musici, recorded
these works and one only need look to Collegium Musicum 90 (Chandos),
L’Archicembalo (Tactus), Arte del Suonatori (BIS), Concerto Italiano
(Brilliant), and non-period instruments on Naxos from Alberto Martini to see
that there is significant competition. Yet the life of the Accademia
Bizantina’s performance is enough to convert even the stoniest of hearts,
and the sheer presence of the recording helps bolster the vivacity of the
experience.
Vivaldi’s string concertos are
treated as the living, vibrant, and most of all human music they are. The
sheer attack of the strings in the finale of RV 161 is palpable, while
Adagio of RV 138 is incredibly dark, especially once one considers the
F-Major brightness of the flanking movements. Contrasts are huge. The
G-Minor, RV 152, begins with a bang, while the Andante of BWV 152 is an
absolute grazioso, quasi-gallant delight. The harmonic adventures offered by
the opening Adagio of RV 155 (the only string concerto in four movements,
and featuring a solo violin) are remarkable, as is the emotional ground
Vivaldi can cover in 2:35 (the duration of the Largo of RV 117) while
Accademia Bizantina completely honor the drama of the dramatic silences in
the opening Allegro of RV 165. One of the more sophisticated string
concertos, RV 142 in F-Major, provides fertile ground; it’s good placement
to put this in penultimate position. The final string concerto is nicknamed
“Conca” after the instrument we hear (the conchiglia marina, known in German
as Wettertrompete, a conch shell fitted with a mouthpiece that Vivaldi
encountered in Bohemia, and played here by Lionel Renoux); it is also one of
the more dramatic concertos on the disc, occasionally seeming to veer
towards the more graphic moments of “The Seasons.”
The shorter second disc
presents only five concertos for viola d’amore. These may be the first
concertos written for that instrument, posits Ottavio Dantone in his
accompanying notes. A source in Ferrara states that Vivaldi was a virtuoso
on this instrument that was fitted with 12 strings; the tuning of the upper
six varies according to the key of the piece in question. Alessandro
Tampieri is clearly master of his instrument, a 1725 Hans Andreas Dörfler;
the tuning is impeccable. The sound of the viola d’amore is beautiful and
somewhat otherworldly, rich in harmonics and yet somehow simultaneously
tissue-delicate. Try the expressive lines of the Largo of RV 394 and the
finale of that concerto really to experience the fullness of sound and the
chordal freedom available to this instrument. The slow movement of RV 397,
with its pizzicato ripieno, is another jewel, while the central movement of
RV 393 (although written as a parenthesized Largo in the booklet, it shows
on my disc player as Andante) really shows the expressive potential of the
solo instrument. The Andante of RV 396, is bonded to its Allegro finale, and
tracked with it, implying a two-movement concerto, and yet that delicate
Andante is expansive enough, and then some, to occupy a space of its own. Fabio Biondi provides excellent competition in these concertos with Europa Galante, including on his Erato disc, in addition to the five concertos here, a chamber concerto for viola d’amore, two horns, two oboes, and bassoon in F Major, RV 97, and a concerto for viola d’amore and lute in D Minor, RV 540. Yet the combination provided by Accademia Bizantina over the course of this twofer is mesmerizing. | |
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