March 8th, 2013: Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons'

Last night's concert, part of the Baroque and Wine series, consisted of Vivaldi's Concerto in G major for String Orchestra "Alla rustica," Handel's Concerto grosso in E minor, Concerto grosso in F major, and Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons.' It was a very well sold concert, and it wasn't until a few hours prior that I was able to snatch a good pair of seats on the first tier. Christine and I sat in the exact same seats as last time (T-7 and T-8) but one tier down, so it was a great opportunity for direct comparison between the two tiers. My conclusion is that there may be a very slight improvement in the acoustics on the second tier, but it is not significant enough to outweigh the drastically superior viewing angle from the first tier. The sound was essentially the same last night as it was the week before.

Associate Concertmaster Emma McGrath led a very reduced orchestra through the four baroque works of the evening. All the violins and violas took their positions on stage standing, while the cellos and bases sat on slightly raised pedestals of some kind. Walter Gray was the third of only three cellists, so he sat by himself on a pedestal that seemed oddly and humorously narrow. One harpsichord was used for the Vivaldi works, and two for the Handel concertos. I believe there was one movement in one of the Handel works in which three wind players joined the orchestra, also standing, but otherwise there were only the strings and harpsichords throughout the evening.

McGrath kicked off the evening with great vigor, leading the orchestra into the beginning of Vivaldi's Alla rustica concerto. The sound was tight and clean, and projected very well. All three movements of the concerto are only about five or six minutes in length total, so before too long we were into the first Handel concerto grosso.

I love baroque music. Every moment is beautiful, much of it is in minor keys, and there is always counterpoint going on throughout the voices. With that being said, I do find myself slightly hard pressed to differentiate greatly between two works like these Handel concertos. They're lovely works, beautiful to listen to, but I suppose I haven't actually studied them, or baroque music in general, enough to really hear them as two distinctly individual works. I had the same feeling on January 18th at the Bach and Telemann concert. It seems a kind of river of beautiful harmonies and contrapuntal writing, but nothing that speaks to me strongly with a voice of individuality.

After the two Handel works were over intermission began, capping off a rather short first half. We stayed in our seats throughout all of intermission, mostly because there is no Friends Lounge on Friday evenings.

After intermission, McGrath led the orchestra and soloed in The Four Seasons. It was a wonderful performance, I believe the first time I've ever actually heard this work live. Spring sparkled with the sounds of blooming flowers, birds chirping, and comfortably warm air. When McGrath had a back-and-forth bird chirping episode with one of the violinists, she turned towards him and engaged with him through the music as though they were actually speaking to each other. I found McGrath's playing to be quite excellent for the most part. Nothing revolutionary, but certainly technically immaculate and with a satisfying dose of musicality as well.

The music of Vivaldi's Summer gave off the air of stifling heat. Full, rich musical colors. No longer the innocent, clean and upbeat sounds of spring, but rather the established, decadent depths of a long and hot summer. Fall followed suit, vividly describing that season when the leaves begin piling on the ground and the wheel of time is enjoying its small respite from summer before plunging into the coming winter yet again. From the orchestra arose sounds depicting cool winds, bright colored leaves and early sunsets; sunsets that not only take away the light, but also the illusion that anything might be permanent.

Then Winter. Frost on the ground. Icy chills in the air. Fog on the horizon. Snow blowing sideways. This vivid musical painting arose from the orchestra, portraying the barren trees with their barren, twig-like branches. The repeated notes, rising in pitch, played sul ponticello, grew out from the orchestra like a legion of icicles. The erie supporting chords from the harpsichord played homage to the desolate death present during winter. Then McGrath burst out with virtuosic arpeggios, perhaps sudden gusts of wind, before the pulsing, chilled sul ponticello playing of the orchestra resumed underneath her.

The rest of Winter followed, much of which I was not as familiar with as I was with the first movement, and then McGrath and orchestra got an almost complete standing ovation. I thought we were about to get an encore, but after the third time she left the stage the applause faded. All in all, this was an excellent, very enjoyable concert of beautiful baroque music. I am very much looking forward to next week though, when we will hear Bruch and Elgar on March 16th.

Tonight though, we go to McCaw hall to see La Bohème! My first opera report will come tomorrow!

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