Sunday Classics preview: As promised, it's Vivaldi Double Concerto Night

Isaac Stern and Itzhak Perlman perform Vivaldi's D major Two-Violin Concerto, RV 512 (Allegro molto; Largo; Allegro), with music director Seiji Ozawa conducting at the Boston Symphony's 100th-anniversary concert, Oct. 10, 1981.

by Ken

In last night's preview, we heard a couple of Vivaldi concertos that did not feature string instruments in the solo group. As promised, it's Vivaldi Double Concerto Night tonight, with violin soloists all over the place. Anyone who's gotten the idea that Vivaldi concertos are "all the same," more or less, may be encouraged to reconsider by the startlingly different pieces we're hearing tonight.

VIVALDI: Concerto in A minor for Two Violins and Strings, RV 522

Violinist Kennedy provides brief Tweet-like movement-by-movement notes on all the works included on the all-Vivaldi CD that includes this concerto. Some of them are rather interesting. (Others not so much.)

i. Allegro

NIGEL KENNEDY: "This is strong, vibrant writing with refined touches. The forward energy of this movement is unrelenting."

ii. Larghetto e spiritoso

NIGEL KENNEDY: "In my opinion this is one of Vivaldi's most successful melodic movements. The two solo violins alternate between hushed conversational melodies and unanimous harmony over a hypnotic ostinato that has a feeling of introversion and timelessness."

iii. Allegro

NIGEL KENNEDY: "A fitting finale for any concerto. Virile and virtuosic playing is required from soloists and orchestra alike. Exciting and fast."

Isaac Stern and David Oistrakh, violins; Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, cond. Columbia/CBS/Sony, recorded Dec. 24, 1955
Nigel Kennedy and Daniel Stabrawa, violins; Berlin Philharmonic members, Nigel Kennedy, cond. EMI, recorded April 2002

Here's a distinctively brooding, lovely piece, with the added dimension of a solo cello added to the two violins, from the collection of 12 solo- and multiple-violin concertos published as Vivaldi's Op. 3. (Note the "three movement"-like structure of the first movement.)

VIVALDI: L'Estro armonico, Op. 3: No. 11, Concerto in D minor for Two Violins, Cello, and Strings, RV 565:
i. Allegro; Adagio; Allegro
ii. Largo
iii. Allegro
Nathan Milstein and Erica Morini, violins; Harvey Shapiro, cello; chamber orchestra. Capitol/EMI, recorded in New York, March 27, 1964
Jan Tomasow and Willi Boskovsky, violins; Richard Harand, cello; Vienna State Opera Chamber Orchestra, Mario Rossi, cond. Vanguard Bach Guild, recorded June 1957

And here's one last two-violin concerto -- an unusually grandiose one, I'd say, with in addition a bit of a wrinkle in our second performance.

VIVALDI: Concerto in B-flat for Two Violins and Strings, RV 524:
i. Allegro
ii. Andante
iii. Allegro
Josef Suk and Oldřich Vlček, violins; Virtuosi di Praga, Oldřich Vlček, dir. Supraphon, recorded Dec. 8-9, 1988
Jean-Pierre Rampal, flute; Isaac Stern, violin; Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, János Rolla, cond. CBS/Hungaroton, recorded Apr. 15-18, 1989


IN TOMORROW'S SUNDAY CLASSICS POST

Let's see . . . Vivaldi concertos last night and more Vivaldi concertos tonight -- where do you suppose this could be leading?

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