In the last couple
of years there has been an abundance
of outstanding recorded interpretations
that demonstrate Vivaldi’s genius for
richness of orchestral palette, sheer
poetic energy and colossal musical invention.
Should there be any detractors who still
harbour doubts about Vivaldi’s genius
they should listen to this outstanding
release.
It turns out that Vivaldi
wrote more than one collection of the
Opus 9 set of twelve Concertos for violin,
strings and basso continuo; the set
entitled La cetra (The lyre).
In addition to the set that was published
in 1728 and dedicated to the Holy Roman
Emperor Charles VI, another set, which
was a manuscript copy, was presented
to the Monarch. It was only in the 1970s
that musicologist Michael Talbot discovered,
whilst researching in the Austrian National
Library in Vienna, that but for the
B minor violin concerto RV580 the two
manuscripts of La cetra were
completely different. The solo parts
of the Monarch’s personal set were unfortunately
lost and Andrew Manze and The English
Concert have recorded here, for the
first time, the six concertos which
have been constructed from alternative
sources.
Undoubtedly the earlier
pioneering interpretations of Vivaldi
and Baroque music in general using period-instruments
were dictated by the severe limitations
of their instruments. Consequently the
performance style often came across
as technically mechanical, rather lacklustre,
frequently insipid and even sterile.
In the last few years the standard of
authentic instrument performance has
improved by leaps and bounds thanks
largely to a new generation of authentic
instrument exponents that have come
to prominence on the early music scene.
These ‘new kids on the block’ have successfully
ratcheted-up the level of technical
proficiency and interpretation standard
by several notches - rediscovering,
exploring and exploiting the strengths
of their period instruments rather than
being restricted and cowed by the weaknesses.
In this type of repertoire the outstanding
specialist period instrument chamber
orchestras are currently the Concerto
Italiano under Rinaldo Alessandrini;
the Venice Baroque Orchestra under Andrea
Marcon; Europa Galante under Fabio Biondi;
Il Giardino Armonico; Academia Montis
Regalis under Alessandro de Marchi;
Florilegium; L’Astrée; Arte dei
Suonatori; Ensemble Explorations under
Roel Dieltiens and the Freiburger Barockorchester
under Gottfried von der Goltz.
In the 2003-4 season
Manze took up the position as Associate
Director of The English Concert. In
my opinion their development is such
that I would now rank these talented
players alongside the premier league
of the new generation of period instrument
ensembles. Manze’s virtuoso playing
has a highly controlled power which
is expertly blended with a gracious
sophistication and considerable panache.
There is an improvisatory freedom that
draws uninhibitedly on a rich, varied
and colouristic palate. The English
Concert demonstrate their impeccable
credentials with a flexible and committed
performance that fully matches Vivaldi’s
expressive scope. A real bonus is the
imaginative utilisation and the luxuriant
sonorities of a combination of archlute,
baroque guitar, theorbo and harpsichord
that provides a robust and diverse basso
continuo.
I must single out the
innovative violin concerto No.3 in C
minor RV202 for special praise. This
daring, intensely passionate and rather
unusual concerto reveals itself as a
true masterpiece and would make a welcome
change from the four concertos that
comprise the ubiquitous Four Seasons.
The Harmonia Mundi
sound engineers have produced excellent
sonics and the annotation is interesting
and informative. These are superlative
accounts to cherish!
Michael Cookson
The English Concert/Andrew Manze (violin) 