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Fanfare Magazine: 44:1 (09-10/2020) 
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Before listening to this two-disc set, I read through the booklet introduction by cellist Ophélie Gaillard, which seem to wander about rather aimlessly. While the more focused essay by Olivier Fourés did put some things into perspective from at least an academic point of view, I was not sure about the allusions to the play of shadows in Vivaldi’s music. Fortunately, the music itself overcame my puzzlement with a performance of works for the cello that demonstrated the composer’s ability to create pieces that are some of the most challenging in the Baroque repertory. Antonio Vivaldi had a penchant for expanding the range of virtuosity and expression in virtually every concerto he composed, even if to some the style remained recognizable in each one. Here, we have a cross-section of the variety that the Venetian composer was able to achieve, using instruments and combinations that even today can be seen as ground-breaking.
 

Of the pieces on the discs, perhaps the most intriguing to me were the concertos for the violoncello piccolo, an instrument that was played while resting on a cushion or, in some instances, in a more upright position (also called violoncello da spalla) like a violin. Given the variable nomenclature of the period, the instrument itself might have had four or five strings, might have been of a more slender design, and was written for in as many as four or five clefs, ranging from bass to soprano. Of course, descriptions vary from the notation of composers such as Sebastian Bach to the theoretical, and here Gaillard performs this on an ordinary instrument, I believe. In any case, the G-Major Concerto (RV 414) is a joyous affair, with an almost frenetic energy and liveliness that supports a really challenging solo line in the first movement. This is followed by a Largo with a theme that is a solemn tread beneath a mysteriously sustained violin accompaniment, and the solo weaves a lyrical line around this steady plod. In the finale, the bass line scurries about above sharply punctuated chords and sequences in the violins. The solo line simply runs amok in leaps, twisting figuration, and wildly running lines. This is perhaps one of the most exciting and challenging of Vivaldi’s concertos, and this is saying a lot. The B-Minor Concerto (RV 424) is more sedate though no less difficult, and here Vivaldi uses more an ostinato in the ritornellos, but the solo line has rapidly rolling triplets that add speed and energy. The slow movement seems more of a ghostly Siciliano, while the finale is stern, even a bit implacable, in its harsh and chromatic lines.
 

Next to these two are the various multiple instrument concertos, a favorite genre by Vivaldi, who likes to explore the combinations of various sonorities. Here, the cello has more of a limited opportunity for partnership, as the timbre doesn’t always blend. The quadruple concerto (RV 575) pits a pair of violins against a pair of cellos, registral distancing being the key. Even at the opening the orchestral bass line scurries up the scale to keep the furious energy going, like a wild ride on a rollercoaster. The duo cello concerto (RV 531) opens with the solos, not the usual orchestral ritornello, with the soloists trying to outdo each other in the sequencing of the virtuoso lines. The singing tones of the instruments in the slow movement offer a floating lyrical moment, while in the finale returns to the frenetic energy of the opening. The second duo concerto, this one for cello and bassoon (RV 409), opens with a slow aria, pairing the timbres before interludes of swirling strings. This structure is unusual for Vivaldi, as it contrasts the lyrical ability of the soloists with the pounding string orchestra. In the second movement, the solos are the fast and furious moments, while the strings offer interludes of sustained harmony. Only in the finale does a degree of normalcy return, though here it is the cello that takes the lead in flashy passagework.
 

Apart from the more conventional cello concertos (RV 416 and RV 405), the set includes a movement from the A-Minor Concerto (RV 419) and a “reconstruction” of a movement from one of the “lost” cello concertos composed in 1737 for a young virtuoso in the Venetian Ospedale. These are curious pieces; the former is a set of rather distinctive variations on a ground, something that Vivaldi did rarely, and the pizzicato opening theme lends the work a rather odd sound, though the solo has some rather dizzying display. The latter survives apparently only in a single part, the orchestral viola, and has the one movement reconstructed by Fourés. The reconstruction is, as these things go, sort of derivative, and I’m not sure the newly composed violin parts really work. While the solo part does flow, the insertion of a cadenza makes it a hybrid that really is a bit out of place.
 

The final portions of this program are vocal works drawn from larger church or stage pieces. The Sinfonia is from Tito Manilo, while the two arias are from this opera and a serenata from 1726. Their inclusion here is due to their incorporating an obbligato cello. Here, the interest lies in the solo cello, with the vocal lines functioning as a primus inter pares. These are, however, more anomalous.

As for the performance, the orchestra Pulcinella is energetic and powerful. They play with excitement, and though on occasion I find their tempos a bit too brisk, they are able to handle the exuberance of Vivaldi’s fast-paced action well. Gaillard’s playing is quite phenomenal, given that she is equally at home with long, sonorous lyrical lines and the flashy virtuoso displays that the passagework requires. She can be a bit muddy at moments in the lower registers, but there is no doubt about her ability to negotiate the tricky virtuosity at speed without losing any of the energy. For cellists, here is something that you should have in your collection. For Baroque specialists, this disc set brings Vivaldi to energetic life (again), and well serves to demonstrate his phenomenal grasp of his instruments.

 

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