A Fresh Look at Vivaldi Concertos

Long-time readers know that I'm interested in the unusual. And the albums I review reflect that interest. Can any album of Vivaldi -- especially one that includes part of the "Four Seasons" -- possibly be unusual? 

Why, yes it can. Violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte has created an insightful program of Vivaldi. It's a collection of violin concerti, but it's unlike any I've heard before. 

Most albums present an assortment of Vivaldi three-movement concerti. And they all have a homogenous sound.

Not here. The musicians perform in different combinations and techniques, depending on the concerto's origin. Some, like the Concerto in A minor, RV 356 were meant for private concerts. Here the ensemble is stripped down to a small chamber group. It's a clean, intimate sound I don't often hear with Vivaldi.

Many of the concertos were written for the young ladies of the Ospedale della Pietà. These concertos, like the one in D minor, RV 813 have a much fuller sound. The Ospedale had some unusual instruments, such as the archlute, ottavino, and a psaltrey. Le Concort uses these to fill out the continuo. They give the concertos a distinctive sound -- and a fresh one at that.

The album also includes concertos written for festivals and special occasions. This is music-making on a grand scale, with multiple soloists and a large ensemble. Le Concert matches the number of players to the type of concerto (private, Ospedale, or public). And by doing so they enhance the character of the concerto. And that's something I seldom hear. This release makes it clear these concertos had different functions and audiences.

And mention must be made of the "Summer" Concerto, RV 315. This is the world premiere recording of the original version. Vivaldi revised these concertos for publication to give them a broader appeal. Hearing what he originally created is revelatory. Especially if you, like me, have heard this concerto far too many times. 

This is an extraordinary collection of music. Théotime Langlois de Swarte is a superb musician; as a performer, as a conductor, and as the curator for this program. Highly recommended. 

Antonio Vivaldi:Concerti per una vita
Le Consort; Théotime Langlois de Swarte, conductor & violin
Harmonia Mundi HMM 902373.74
Two CD Set

John Carmichael: Toward the Light -- Honest Music-Making

I admit I wasn't at all familiar with John Carmichael's work before this release crossed my desk. I'm glad it did. "Toward the Light" has a healthy sampling of Carmichael's catalog. Enough to encourage me to explore further. 

John Carmichael is an Australian pianist and composer, who worked mainly in the UK. A good deal of his works involve the piano. This release includes his second piano concerto. Four of the five chamber works on the release include piano. 

Carmichael writes in an accessible post-Romantic style. The tonal structure of his music is easy to follow -- but never cliche. The Piano Concerto No. 2 features Antony Gray, soloist, with the St. Paul's Sinfonia and Andrew Morely.

The way Gray performs the work suggests it's a joy to play. The gestures are big, but not overblown. The technique is challenging, but not impossible. And the music itself is engaging and well-crafted. And this is a very good performance. 

Also included is the Piano Trio "Toward the Light." Here the piano performs in partnership with the violin and cello. And yet it's a very full part with lots going on. 

The balance is a little better in the Aria for viola and piano. Carmichael writes effectively for the viola. He uses the instrument's dark tone to write some wonderfully resonant melodies. 

"On the Green" is a work for wind ensemble -- no piano. It includes pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns, and bassoons. Plus a contrabassoon. I think it's a real charmer. Carmichael uses his instruments to create a variety of interesting timbres. The music's straightforward, almost bordering on light classical.

And there's nothing wrong with that. "On the Green" has an immediate appeal. It should be a staple with community bands everywhere. I know it hasn't, but perhaps this recording will help. 

What I found most appealing about Carmichael's music was its honesty. Carmichael is straightforward in his intent. And the clarity of that intention makes his music appealing (at least to me).  

John Carmichael: Toward the Light
Piano Concerto No. 2; Piano Trio "Toward the Light"; Aria for viola & piano; Contrasts
Short Cuts - Divertimento for flute, oboe, clarinet & piano; On the Green
Divine Art ddx 21103

#ClassicsaDay #Classical1924 Week 4

 It's become an annual tradition. For the first month of the new year, the Classics a Day team looks back a century. So the challenge for January 2024 is to post performances of classical works that were either composed, premiered, or first recorded in 1924.

It turns out 1924 was a landmark year for classical music. Here are my posts for the fourth week of #Classical1924.

01/22/24 Arnold Schoenberg: Wind Quintet, Op. 26

This work was one of the first Schoenberg composed in his 12-tone technique. It was completed in 1924 and premiered in September of that year.

 

01/23/24 Alban Berg: Three Fragments from "Wozzeck"

Berg completed "Wozzeck" in 1922. The complete opera premiered in 1925. But in 1924 these three excerpts were premiered. Their success helped establish Berg's reputation as a major composer.

 

01/25/24 Alexander von Zemlinsky: Lyric Symphony

Zemlinsky completed this work in 1923. It received its premiere performance in Prague in 1924 with Zemlinsky conducting.

 

01/26/24 Igor Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments

Stravinsky finished this work in Paris in 1924. He retained the performance rights, allowing no one but himself to perform the concerto. He said it was to protect the work from "incompetent or Romantic hands." 

 

Justin Dello Joio: Oceans Apart

I consider this an important release. Justin Dello Joio's "Oceans Apart" was commissioned by the Boston Symphony. Garrick Ohlsson was the intended soloist for this piano concerto. And in January 2023 the work was performed.  Alan Gilbert led the Boston Symphony Orchestra, with Garrick Ohlsson, piano soloist. 

This is a recording of that performance, hence its importance. It is performed by the commissioning artists, with input from the composer. And it's a tremendous composition.

Dello Joio writes that the work was inspired by divisions: political divisions and cultural divisions. The concerto effectively evokes those concepts. Themes break off unresolved. Various groups of instruments seem to compete for attention. And even the foundation of the music seems unsettled. 

Dello Joio writes in what I call a post-tonal style. That is, the overall language is tonal. However, the nature of the harmonies and their resolution aren't traditional. Yet they make sense.

Ohlsson is in top form in this recording, as is the BSO. I hope more orchestras program this work. It deserves a wider audience. 

Also included in this release are two Dello Joio chamber works. The Due Per Due for cello and piano is a tour de force for the performers. In this case, Carter Brey, cello, and Christopher O'Riley, piano.

Blue and Gold Music was composed for the tricentenary of Trinity School. This work for brass quintet and organ sparkles with originality. There's little heralding fanfare here. Just solid writing that utilizes the characteristics of the instruments involved. 

Justin Dello Joio: Oceans Apart
Concerto for Piano and ORchestra
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
Boston Symphony Orchestra; Alan Gilbert, conductor
Carter Brey, cello; Christopher O'Riley, piano
American Brass Quintet
Bridge Records Bridge 9583

Ivor Gurney: Piano Sonatas Tell a Story

This release presents a selection of piano music by Ivor Gurney. Some of the music was composed immediately before the First World War. The rest soon after. Heard together, they tell a story. 

Ivor Gurney was one of the most promising composers of his generation. But that was the generation that went off to fight World War I. Gurney had suffered from bipolar disorder since his teens. 

During the war, he was on the front lines, where he was both wounded and gassed. He likely suffered PTSD on top of his disorder. In any case, Gurney was institutionalized in 1922 at age 32. 

Gurney was both a poet and composer. He continued to write verse until he died in 1937. But he stopped composing around 1929. 

Gurney's pre-war output includes a poem for piano and the Piano Sonata No. 1. His early style mixed late-Romantic Brahms with British folk harmonies and modes. The Poem for Piano, "Autumn" has an elegiac quality. Here the "Englishness" of the melodic turns and harmonies are readily apparent.

The first piano sonata of 1910 demonstrates Gurney's ability to handle large forms. This three-movement work is well-crafted. The structure of the sonata is there. Although it's been modified to accommodate modal and non-traditional harmonies. 

From Gurney's early post-war output are two other piano sonatas, and his Five Preludes. The preludes are a little deceptive. They're a sparkling set of miniature gems. George Rowley gives them a spirited performance. But they seem to come from a different place than Gurney's pre-war works. 

Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 and 3 were both started in 1919. The third sonata is a more complex work than the first. And it has a different character. Even at its liveliest, there's a sense of serious purpose here. 

Gurney never completed his second sonata. The second movement stands as a torso that hints of potential. It's a beautiful, somber work, and does quite well as a stand-alone piece. 

George Rowley plays with insight and sympathy. He's adept at bringing out both the optimism of the early works and the pessimism of the post-war ones. 

Only a small fraction of Gurney's music has been recorded. This is a welcome addition to that slender catalog.   

Ivor Gurney: Piano Sonatas

George Rowley, piano

Naxos 8.574479