The Well-Tempered Ear
Vivaldi turns 345 today. His irresistable music deserves more live performances
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By Jacob Stockinger
Today The Ear wishes Happy Birthday to composer Antonio Vivaldi (below), who was born on this day — March 4 — in 1678 in Venice. (He became famous but died in poverty at age 63 on July 28, 1741, also in Venice.)
The Ear likes Vivaldi and his music deserves many more live performances. Even local early music and modern music groups seems reluctant to program much Vivaldi besides “The Four Seasons,” despite the popularity of his other works. Vivaldi not only composed a lot but he did so for many instruments — strings, brass, winds — and in other genres than concertos including sonatas, choral works and operas.
Listen to Vivaldi in the morning. Who can resist him? The Italian style with its energetic rhythm, songful lyricism and major-key cheerfulness are caffeine for the ears.
There are so many fine groups and soloists who perform Vivaldi. Yet so much of his prolific output remains relatively unknown or unheard.
That’s too bad. Johann Sebastian Bach recognized a good thing when he heard it, so he “borrowed” and transcribed many of Vivaldi’s works. One imagines the Italian taste for transparency and tunes appealed to Bach and helped him leaven the often dense, even pedantic Germanic counterpoint and smothering religiosity. Vivaldi provided a model influence for Bach’s eclectic fusion of styles.
Here is a link to an extended Wikipedia biography of the “Red Priest” (below) — Vivaldi’s nickname, used during his teaching at an all-girls school in Venice and derived from his bright red hair. It holds some surprises including the political controversy that surrounded Vivaldi in his day:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Vivaldi
A lot of modern musicians and music historians seem to hold Vivaldi’s popularity and listener-friendly music against him. Opinions seem divided over who made the snide remark — Igor Stravinsky, Luigi Dallapiccola or both — that Vivaldi rewrote the same concerto 500 times.
Here is an informative takedown of that putdown:
https://notanothermusichistorycliche.blogspot.com/2018/10/did-stravinsky-say-vivaldi-wrote-same.html
In the YouTube video at the bottom is a favorite Vivaldi movement of mine. It helped give me a lifelong unforgettable moment as an accompaniment to viewing NASA’s recently taken moon footage at 37,000 feet in a plane on my way to Hawaii. It is the slow movement of the lute concerto played on the guitar by Julian Bream — and it was perfect for expressing weightlessness and space flight.
That was long ago.
These days for period-instrument performances, I tend to favor The English Concert under Trevor Pinnock , The Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood, and the Academy of Ancient Music Berlin — although there are others terrific ensembles including the modern instrument groups I Musici and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
For period string soloists — try the double concertos — look to Simon Standage, Monica Huggett, Andrew Manze and Rachel Podger. For modern instrumentalists, check out Victoria Mullova and especially the Israeli violinist Shlomo Mintz, who uses his own ordering and groupings of concertos. I also like the period cellist Christophe Coin and the modern cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras.
Do you have an opinion about Vivaldi — a like or dislike of his music?
Do you have a favorite Vivaldi work?
Do you have favorite performers of Vivaldi?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #AntonioVivaldi, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #ItalianBaroque, #TheEar, #YouTubevideo, Academy of Ancient Music, Academy of Ancient Music Berlin, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Andrew Manze, Antonio Vivaldi, Arts, Baroque, Berlin, birthday, blog, born, brass, British, caffeine, Cello, Chamber music, cheerfulness, choral music, Christophe Coin, Christopher Hogwood, clarity, Classical music, composer, Concert, concerto, counterpoint, Early music, ears, eclectic, energy, English, English Concert, ensemble, express, Facebook, favorite, Four Seasons, fusion, genre, Germany, girls, good, Great Britain, guitar, Happy Birthday, History, I Musici, Igor Stravinsky, influence, Israel, Israeli, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Jean-Guihan Queyras, Johann Sebastian Bach, Julian Bream, link, listener-friendly, Luigi Dallapiccola, lute, lyricism, Madison, melody, modern, modernism, Monica Huggett, moon, morning, Music, NASA, opera, opinion, perform, poor, popularity, poverty, priest, program, prolific, putdown, Rachel Podger, Red Priest, Religion, school, share, Shlomo Mintz, Simon Standage, snide, soloist, Sonata, space, strings, style, symphony, tag, takedown, The Ear, The Four Seasons, thing, transparency, Trevor Pinnock, tune, UK, United States, Venice, Victoria Mullova, Viola, Violin, Vivaldi, vocal music, wind music, YouTube
Classical music: The Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble plays a concert of familiar and unfamiliar baroque chamber music this Sunday afternoon
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble — an acclaimed and veteran group specializing in early music performed on period instruments and with historically informed performance practices — will give a concert of baroque chamber music on this coming Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.
The concert is in Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church (below are exterior and interior views), 1833 Regent Street, on Madison’s near west side.
Members and performers in the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble include: UW-Madison professor Mimmi Fulmer – soprano; Nathan Giglierano – baroque violin; Brett Lipshutz – traverse flute; Eric Miller – viola da gamba; Sigrun Paust – recorder; Consuelo Sañudo – mezzo-soprano; Monica Steger – traverse flute and harpsichord; Anton TenWolde – baroque cello; and Max Yount – harpsichord.
Tickets at the door are: $20 for the general public; $10 for students.
For more information, call (608) 238 5126, or email: info@wisconsinbaroque.org, or visit www.wisconsinbaroque.org
A FREE post-concert reception will be held at 2422 Kendall Ave, second floor.
The program features:
Giovanni Legrenzi – “Ave Regina Coelorum” (Hail, O Queen of Heaven)
Jacques Morel – Chaconne en trio, from “Livre de pieces de viola” or Book of Pieces for Viol)
Jean-Baptiste Lully – “Plaite de Vénus sur la mort d’Adonis” (Lament of Venus on the Death of Adonis)
Georg Friedrich Handel (below) – Sonata for violin and basso continuo, Opus 1, No. 3 (You can sample the lovely opening movement, played by Simon Standage on violin and The English Concert’s director Trevor Pinnock on harpsichord, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Intermission
Georg Philipp Telemann (below) – “Hemmet den Eifer, verbannet die Rache” (Restrain Your Zeal, Banish Your Revenge)
Jacob Friedrich Kleinknecht – Sonata for traverso and basso continuo, Opus 1, No. 2
Giacomo Carissimi – “Rimante in pace ormai” (Remain in Peace Henceforth)
Georg Philipp Telemann – Quartetto in G major, TWV 43:G6
For more information about the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble, go to: http://wisconsinbaroque.org
Tags: Adonis, Arts, Baroque, Cello, chaconne, Classical music, Early music, English Concert, flute, Georg Philipp Telemann, George Frideric Handel, Giacomo Carissimi, Giovanni Legrenzi, harpsichord, Historically informed performance, Jacob Friedrich Kleinknecht, Jacob Stockinger, Jacques Morel, Jean-Baptiste Lully, lament, Madison, Mezzo-soprano, Music, Quartet, recorder, Simon Standage, singer, Sonata, soprano, traverso, Trevor Pinnock, trio, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Venus, video, Viol, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble, YouTube
Classical music: Trevor Stephenson explains why Baroque music sounds so good at holiday time. His Madison Bach Musicians will perform their annual Baroque Holiday Concert of Bach, Corelli and Telemann this coming Saturday night. Plus, the Wingra Woodwind Quintet performs a FTREE concert Thursday night at 7:0 p.m. and at noon on Friday you can hear a FREE performance of two sonatas for violin and piano by Beethoven.
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ALERT: On Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in Morphy Hall, the UW -Madison’s Wingra Wind Quintet will perform a FREE concert of 20th-century music by Henry Cowell, Irving Fine, Robert Muczynski, Alan Hovhaness and Elliott Carter. For more information, here is a link:
http://www.music.wisc.edu/event/wingra-woodwind-quintet/
This week’s FREE Friday Noon Musicale, held from 12:15 to 1 p.m. at the meeting house of the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, features violinist Wendy Adams and pianist Ann Aschbacher in two sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven: Op. 30, No. 1, and Op. 96.
By Jacob Stockinger
This coming Saturday night, the Madison Bach Musicians and guest soloists will perform their annual Baroque Holiday concert. (Below is a photo by Kent Sweitzer of the 2014 concert in the same venue.)
The concert is at 8 p.m. at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1609 University Ave., near Camp Randall.
Tickets are $23-$28 and can be purchased at the door, with discounts in advance at certain outlets or online.
For more information, visit the MBM website at:
http://madisonbachmusicians.org/december-12-2015/
Trevor Stephenson, who is a master explainer and who will give a pre-concert lecture at 7:15 p.m., recently spoke via email to The Ear:
This is the fifth annual Baroque Holiday Concert by the Madison Bach Musicians. Generally speaking, what is your goal when you program for it?
The idea of the Baroque Holiday Concert is to present an interesting and varied program of Baroque and Renaissance music, some of which pertains to the holiday season and to winter itself.
More importantly we try to program outstanding pieces that Madison audiences may not have had a chance to hear very often in live performance, particularly, played on period instruments and with historically informed performance practices.
Why is Baroque music so popular at the holidays? What is it about the music itself that makes it feel so appropriate to the occasion?
Baroque music, whether it is written specifically for the holidays or not, does indeed sound terrific this time of year. I think the baroque style really strikes the right balance between energy and form — a perfect marriage of theater and church.
The Bach cantatas, two of which we’ll be playing on this upcoming concert, are perhaps the strongest examples of this fusion. The bearing of these pieces is always devotional, while the compositional technique—the process of invention in them—is always searching, exploratory, even avant-garde.
Look at the opening of Cantata 61, Nun komm der Heiden Heiland (Now Come Savior of the Heavens) where Bach (below) begins by firing up a martial-sounding dotted-rhythm French overture and then layers in the voices, one at a time, in long moaning tonally-veering chant lines. And yet, this all seems to operate within a framework that can accommodate it.
Briefly and in non-specialist terms, what would you like the public to know about each of the works?
In addition to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cantata 61, the more grand-scale Advent Cantata discussed above, we’ll also be presenting the more intimate Cantata 151, Süßer trost, mein Jesus kömmt (Sweet Comfort, My Jesus Comes) composed for the third day of Christmas), which opens with an elegant and extended aria for soprano and obbligato baroque flute. We’re thrilled that this will be performed by outstanding soprano Chelsea Morris and baroque flutist extraordinaire Linda Pereksta.
We’ll also perform the rightly beloved “Christmas” Concerto in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8, by Arcangelo Corelli. The melodic material, the sequential dance-movement structure and the unsurpassed beauty of the string writing in this concerto grosso are perfect in the extreme. MBM concertmaster Kangwon Kim will lead this from the first violin.
By the way, if you’re familiar with Peter Weir’s 2003 movie Master and Commander you’ll notice that the Corelli “Christmas” Concerto pops up a couple of times in the movie score. (You can hear the “Christmas” Concerto, conducted by Trevor Pinnock, in the Youtube video at the bottom.)
Also on the program is Telemann’s E minor quartet from Tafelmusik. Tafelmusik, literally “table music” refers to the domestic and unassuming everyday quality of the writing. Chelsea Morris (below) will also perform three movements from George Frideric Handel’s Gloria.
Other musicians featured on the program are alto Margaret Fox, tenor William Ottow, bass Luke MacMillan, violinists Brandi Berry, Nathan Giglierano, and Olivia Cottrell, violists Marika Fischer Hoyt and Micah Behr, cellists Martha Vallon and Andrew Briggs, and (yours truly) harpsichordist Trevor Stephenson.
I’ll also give a pre-concert lecture at 7:15 p.m. about the music, the composers and the period instruments.
Is there something else you would like to say about the works or the performers?
I’d also like to mention that the concert will be given in the wonderful sanctuary of Madison’s First Congregational United Church of Christ. The acoustics there are absolutely terrific. Wisconsin Public Radio will be recording the concert and will broadcast it later in the holiday season, date to be announced.
Tags: 20th-century, 20th-century classical music, Advent, Alan Hovhaness, alto, Arts, Bach, Baroque, bass, Beethoven, Cantata, Cello, Chamber music, choral music, Christmas, Christmas Concerto, church, Classical music, concerto, Corelli, dotted rhythm, Early music, Elliott Carter, First Unitarian Society of Madison, flute, French, George Frideric Handel, Gloria, Handel, harpsichord, Henry Cowell, Holidays, Irving Fine, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, Master and Commander, Music, musicale, NPR, Orchestra, Overture, period instruments, Peter Weir, Piano, Renaissance, Robert Muczynski, Sonata, soprano, Tafelmusik, Telemann, tenor, theater, theatre, Trevor Pinnock, Trevor Stephenson, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, winds, Wingra Wind Quintet, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, YouTube
Classical music: Christopher Hogwood is dead at 73. But the early music pioneer was no purist.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Christopher Hogwood (below, in a photo by the Associated Press), who, along with Trevor Pinnock, Gustav Leonhardt, John Eliot Gardiner and Frans Bruggen, became synonymous for many us with the movement to promote early music with authentic instruments and historically informed performance practices, has died.
He died Wednesday and was 73, and he had been ill for a brief time. He died at his home in Cambridge, England.
There are many things that The Ear loved about Hogwood, but nothing more than his recordings of string concertos by Antonio Vivaldi for their verve and of symphonies and concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for their sweetness and transparency, energy and clarity. (You can hear Hogwood conducting the Academy of Ancient Music in 2009 in Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan. They are playing the spectacular and virtuosically contrapuntal last movement of Mozart’s last symphony — Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter”– at the bottom in a YouTube video. Just listen to the cheers!)
Hogwood’s version of the popular oratorio “Messiah” by George Frideric Handel is still my preferred one. Hogwood always seemed to serve the music first and foremost, and not fall into the kind of goofy or quirky readings that, say, Nikolaus Harnoncourt often did. Everything he did seemed balanced and just plain right, but nonetheless ear-opening in its originality. He made you say: THAT’S the way it should sound.
But curiously, Hogwood (below, in a photo by Marcus Borggreve) seems to have understood other people and performers who prefer early music played in more modern approaches or idiosyncratic or individualistic manners. The Ear likes that kind of non-purist and tolerant approach to early music, to all music really. He is what Hogwood said in one interview:
‘THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH PLAYING THINGS HISTORICALLY COMPLETELY INCORRECTLY: MUSIC IS NOT A MORAL BUSINESS, SO YOU CAN PLAY ABSOLUTELY IN A STYLE THAT SUITS YOU AND PLEASES YOUR PUBLIC. IT MAY BE COMPLETELY UNRECOGNISABLE TO THE COMPOSER BUT SO WHAT, HE’S DEAD.’
Here are some links for you to learn more about the achievements of Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music, which he founded and is now directed by Richard Egarr.
Here is a fine story from NPR (National Public Radio):
Here is a comprehensive obituary from The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/26/arts/christopher-hogwood-early-music-devotee-dies-at-73.html
Here is a story from The Washington Post:
And here is a small story that appeared in Hogwood’s native Great Britain, even though Hogwood also directed American groups in Boston, St. Paul and elsewhere:
Here is a link to a 70-minute podcast that the magazine Gramophone did to mark Hogwood’s 70th birthday:
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/remembering-christopher-hogwood
Tags: Academy of Ancient Music, Arts, Bach, Baroque, Beethoven, Boston, Cambridge, Chamber music, Christopher Hogwood, Classical music, concerto, Early music, Frans Bruggen, George Frideric Handel, Gramophone, Gustav Leonhardt, Historically informed performance, Hogwood, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Eliot Gardiner, Jupiter Symphony, Ludwig van Beethoven, Messiah, Mozart, Music, New York Times, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, NPR, Orchestra, Richard Egarr, St. Paul, Suntory Hall, symphony, The Washington Post, Tokyo, Trevor Pinnock, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, YouTube
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The Well-Tempered Ear 