A year after their exciting debut concert, “Musick in Britain: The Italian Heritage”, Albion Baroque have returned to St Alfege’s Church, Greenwich to perform music by Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741) and his contemporary, Giuseppe Matteo Alberti (1685 – 1751). The program featured a carefully chosen selection of little known Italian cantatas and concertos, including a modern premiere of Alberti’s Op. 1.

Albion Baroque, directed by Miguel Esteban, was joined this evening by countertenor James D. Hall, winner of this year’s Somerset Song Prize. Aegis Arts Live, the theatrical street ballet tour who featured in the orchestra’s debut concert, also rejoined them to perform choreographed dances for two cantatas.

Vivaldi is most famed as a composer of virtuosic violin music, and indeed, out of the 300 concertos for solo instruments with string ensemble and continuo that he wrote, around 230 are for violin. That Vivaldi also wrote a considerable amount of secular as well as sacred vocal compositions, including operas and cantatas, can be a surprise to learn. Interest in the study and revival of this repertoire has been growing in recent years. Baroque cantatas are rather like self-contained arias and in this respect share many stylistic and formal characteristics with contemporary opera. Their shorter length makes them particularly suitable for modern audiences as an introduction to Vivaldi’s operatic music. From this mysterious and melodious “box of treasures”, Albion Baroque presented for our listening pleasure cantatas RV 683 and 684 for alto, and the aria ‘Frema Pur’ from the composer’s first opera, Ottone in villa.

Alberti’s music gained popularity in eighteenth-century Northern Europe thanks to publications by Estienne Roger in Amsterdam, and Hare & Walsh in London. In A General History of Music, Charles Burney describes Alberti’s Sinfonie a Quattro as “slight and easy”, their simplicity and clear harmonies making them an attractive choice for amateur musical societies and provincial concerts. However, to most modern audiences and musicians, Alberti and his work represents yet another facet of musical history that has fallen into the shadows of time. Alberti was born in Bologna and lived there much of his life. During his career, the composer was elected president of the Accademia Filharmonica on six occasions and also served as deputy maestro di capella at the Basilica di San Petronio from 1739.

The evening’s concert began with Alberti’s concerto for strings in C major, Op.1. No. 6. This short and sweet concerto is from a set of 10 “concerti per chiesa, e per camera”, first published in Bologna in 1713. In this set, the odd numbers are solo violin concerti whereas the even numbered works have no solo at all. The highlight of the first movement was a vivacious exchange between the first and second violins, spatially emphasised by the arrangement of the string sections on opposing sides of the stage to create a stereo sound effect. A brief largo in a minor key followed in which an assertive dotted rhythm motif was played as unison chords. The third movement, a lyrical, jig-like allegro, danced along with delightful articulation.

Next, we ventured into the familiar yet novel sound world of Vivaldi’s vocal music. Hall joined the ensemble to sing Vivaldi’s cantata RV 683, “Cantata Amor, hai vinto”. In this cantata we witness the journey of emotional healing experienced by a spurned lover: from tormented anger and hopeless grief, to peaceful tranquillity. The protagonist at first likens his torment to the experience of being in a small boat at sea during a relentless storm. Musical painting from the ensemble accompaniment here highlighted the metaphorical pictures, while rapid string crossing sonically conjured the character’s description of inner turmoil: “thunder booms, the lightning flashes”.

Hall’s expressivity grew through the performance as he sensitively conveyed the transition from torment to reconciliation and serenity. His rising cadenza on the line:

 

“non sento pui martoro”

 

evoked the impression of a soul lifting into light and peace as articulated in the following line, “mi torno a respirar”. A gentle ritardendo, followed by a brief pause after the penultimate line sensitively underscored the protagonist’s arrival at a state of serenity by the end of the verse:

 

“L’alma si rasserena

come la clama in mar”.

 

Musical painting can also be heard elsewhere in Vivaldi’s work, including in his most famous set of violin concerti, The Four Seasons, wherein a manifold variety of birds are evoked, along with seasonal winds, storms and even the teeth chattering and shivering associated with winter. Other eighteenth-century composers also employed this technique of adding a clear descriptive quality to the musical accompaniment (for instance Handel in his oratorio, Israel in Egypt).

 

The next piece of the program, the Concerto for Strings in D minor Op. 1 No. 8, demonstrated some of Alberti’s contributions to the development of the ritornello form. Whereas Alberti’s earlier concerti used a four-movement sonata da chiesa layout, No. 8 follows a three-movement structure with fully developed ritornello outer movements. Albion Baroque’s use of vivid dynamic contrasts in the opening movement clearly highlighted the episodes and returning themes. Short, biting acciaccatura motifs characterised the second movement. Following this, a dancer dressed in blue (Fenella Kennedy) ran up the central aisle, performed a yoga style salutation behind Miguel, then pirouetted and ran back. Two others (Michelle Buckley and Chiara Favaretti) soon joined her, joyfully frolicking back and forth through the aisle as though involved in a game of catch: their movements visually interpreted the play of musical lines in the second and third movements.

Just before the interval we heard Alberti’s Op. 1 No. 7 Concerto in E minor for violin and strings. Attentive to Miguel’s every gesture, Albion Baroque expressively shaped the rising melody lines of the first movement with escalating crescendos. Kinga Ujszaszi’s poised performance of the intricate passages and rapid string-crossing arpeggios gave a valiant character to the solo violin part. The second movement featured an exquisitely ornate and somewhat eastern sounding melody for solo violin and harpsichord. Bringing us out of a spell, the last movement began in tutti, interspersed with solo episodes, again accompanied by harpsichord, which showcased Ujszaszi’s virtuosic playing whilst adding to the musical texture: biting, ornate gestures from the violins, almost in sparring conversation with each other, contrasted with the lush, full sound of the whole ensemble.

Miguel returned to the stage to greet the audience before lifting the baton to begin the second half of the concert with Alberti’s Concerto for strings Op. 1 No. 4 in D major. A warm opening theme gave way to excited tremolos and rapid arpeggios. The short ornate motifs reappeared as trills in the second movement, now in a minor key, followed by a melodious legato section. Rhythmic torrents danced back and forth across the stage between violins 1 and 2 in the third movement, abruptly ceasing for a witty end.

The rest of the concert was devoted to string concertos and vocal music by Vivaldi. As Albion Baroque began RV 131 Concerto for strings in E minor, the three female dancers entered the scene. One in orange chiffon (Buckley) and another in teal (Favaretti) performed an imitative sequence whilst the third, in white (Kennedy), moved in contrary counterpoint to them thus reflecting the energetic opening fugal theme. As the music turned into a cascade of melodic lines, the dancers dipped gently sideways to catch each other’s heads and lead each other in different directions. A male dancer (David Beer) entered alone, princely and graceful, as the second movement began. He was before long accompanied by two of his female counterparts (Buckley and Favaretti), and together they performed a courtly ballet to the elegant Andante. As Albion Baroque played the opening bars of the Allegro, Kennedy impishly ran up the aisle and then purposely slid on the floor! Her fellow dancers soon joined the scene, and they humorously frolicked up and down the aisle, in front of the pews, even interweaving between the musicians to repose mermaid-like beside the harpsichord (Favaretti). The final chords saw Buckley and Beer sat on either side of Miguel with their hands up stretched on his back!

Hall re-joined the ensemble to sing RV 684 “Cessate, omai cessate”. This cantata resembles RV 683 in formal layout. However, the protagonist in this scenario does not find hope and peace, rather he sinks further into despair at having lost a lover and vows to end his life. Our attention was caught from the first line: a powerful command for cruel memories to “cessatte, omai cesatte”. The recitative was heart-wrenchingly sung by Hall, with added emphasis from the ensemble on the character’s tortured emotional plight. A tentative arpeggiated ritornello, plucked and bowed by the ensemble, led into the aria. Hall’s direct and crisp articulation intensified the stabbing dotted rhythms in lines “ah, sempre piu spietata”, and “solo la motre”, while the repetitive pizzicato accompaniment evoked falling tears in “m’a stringe a lagrimar” and time passing hopelessly by in “per me non v’è più speme”. With a funeral-like air, Hall sung the second recitative as discordant strings evoked those “taciturni orroi”, plaguing the protagonist to suicide. Emotion reached a climax in the final aria when the spurned lover ends his life in gloom, crying for revenge. Hall’s energy and desperate passion were here emphatically matched by the ensemble’s playing.

After these clouds of despair, the penultimate piece in the program, RV 121 Concerto for strings in D major, gave us an opening full of rhythmical zest and sunshine. Dynamic waves shaped the first movement into sweeping lines before the adagio briefly cast us back into emotionally pensive mood. Playful pianos contrasted with determined fortes as Albion Baroque drove through the final allegro, demonstrating even more exhilarating energy than in the first.

 

“Frema Pur”, an aria from Vivaldi’s first opera, Ottone in villa brought this program of musical revelations to an end. Hall presented us with yet another tragic figure, this time a woman, Tullia, disguised as a man named Ostillo in order to get close to the man she loves, Caio. Interludes of poise and gravitas repeatedly gave way to passionate outburst in Hall’s performance, while the rich accompaniment echoed with depth in the clear acoustics of the church.

A year on, Albion Baroque has grown as an ensemble, achieving a musical balance among the players that has revealed even greater dynamic artistry and insight. Their poise this evening was such that even the silence between movements held anticipation. True to Albion Baroque’s mission statement, this was an engaging and enlightening concert. We look forward to hearing future musical discoveries!

 

Albion Baroque performed at St Alphege’s Church, Greenwich, on 22 November 2013.