Review: An unorthodox "Four Seasons" with Avi Avtal and Jory Vinikour at the St. Louis Symphony

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Jory Vinikour
Photo: Nuccio di Nuzzo

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The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's mini-Baroque festival (see my preview for details) concludes this weekend with a continuing emphasis on the works of Antonio Vivaldi. Joining Vivaldi this weekend, though, are his fellow Venetian Alessandro Marcello and a younger German guy named J.S. Bach. You might have heard of him.

The concert Friday morning--part of the coffee concert series with doughnuts courtesy of Krispy Kreme--got off to an appropriately caffeinated start with a lively performance of the overture to Vivaldi's 1734 opera L'Olimipade. Directed from the harpsichord by this week's guest conductor, Chicago-born harpsichordist Jory Vinikour, the reading was appealingly bright and graceful, with pristine playing by the small complement of SLSO strings. Mr. Vinikour was kept quite busy, rapidly switching from the keyboard to artfully shape phrases for the musicians, but it all worked very well.

Mr. Vinikour next took the solo spot in a last minute program change, performing Bach's Italian Concerto for solo harpsichord. Composed in an ornamental style "after the Italian taste" (as Bach described it), the work uses the upper, softer manual (keyboard) of the harpsichord for what would the solo material in a full concerto with the lower and louder manual used to represent the tutti (orchestral) sections. It is, as Mr. Vinikour pointed out in spoken commentary prior to his performance, one of the few instances in which Bach actually provides dynamic markings in his music.

Avi Avital

The dynamic contrasts sounded a little less marked than they might have been Friday morning, probably because his instrument was lightly amplified to compensate for the fact that harpsichords were never meant to fill spaces as large as Powell Hall. Even so, it was an elegant bit of work, with some particularly sensitive playing in the Andante second movement, and Mr. Vinikour's technique was impressive throughout.

The first half of the morning's festivities concluded with another outstanding solo performance, this time from Principal Oboe Jelena Dirks in the D minor concerto by Marcello. Although Marcello was not an operatic composer, his concerto nevertheless has a kind of dramatic sensibility, as Benjamin Pesetsky points out in his program notes. Ms. Dirks's performance brought out that theatricality quite effectively, especially in the melancholy second movement, and she handled the virtuoso turns of the Presto finale with ease. Although focused strongly on her sheet music, she nevertheless communicated well with both Mr. Vinikour and her fellow musicians. It's good to see members of the band in the spotlight, especially when they acquit themselves this well.

The second half of the concert was devoted to an intriguing example of old wine in a new bottle: Vivaldi's popular The Four Seasons with the solo part played on mandolin by the Israeli virtuoso Avi Avital.

Jelena Dirks

The substitution makes some sense, in that the violin and the mandolin share the same range and tuning, but the two instruments differ very strongly otherwise. The violin is capable of a wider dynamic range and can produce much more sonic variety. The mandolin can produce the same notes, but it can't necessarily produce the same musical effect.

To my ears, the substitution worked best in the dance-inspired movements, like the Allegro [Danza pastorale] that concludes "Spring" or the opening Allegro of "Autumn." Moments that called for a more singing tone, like the Largo second movement of "Winter," felt much less effective. And, of course, the mandolin's softer voice meant that many notes simply couldn't be heard, despite the fact it was miked. If you listen to the broadcast of this concert Saturday night, though, that issue will likely be resolved in the mixing booth.

Those misgivings aside, this was still a very fine Four Seasons, largely thanks to Mr. Avital's remarkable musicianship. His technique was frankly stunning and it was a joy to see how engaged he was with both the orchestra and with Mr. Vinikour, who once again conducted from the keyboard. He was always connected to the emotion in the music, whether directing a wistful serenade to the violins or practically leaping from his chair during the closing thunderstorm of "Summer."

This isn't going to eclipse the last SLSO Four Seasons I saw (Ward Stare and Jennifer Koh back in 2011, for the record) by any means, but it was certainly entertaining and appealing. I'm glad I saw it, and I recommend you do the same, especially in light of the high quality of the program as a whole.

There are two more performances of this program, Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 3 pm, December 9 and 10, at Powell Hall in Grand Center. After that, the SLSO performs a series of holiday concerts, with the regular season resuming on January 12th.

Symphony Preview: Concerto Italiano

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Probable portrait of Vivaldi, c. 1723

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This weekend (December 8--10) the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is continues its mini Baroque festival with the emphasis on the music of one of the most prolific composers of the period, Antonio Vivaldi (1678--1741). Unlike last week, when it was all Vivaldi all the time, this time around Antonio has some company: his fellow Venetian Alessandro Marcello (1669-1747) and a younger German guy named J.S. Bach. You might have heard of him.

The concerts will open with music by Vivaldi, though: the overture to his opera L'Olimipade, first performed in 1734. The libretto by Pietro Metastasio, whose work would prove so popular with composers in the 18th century, involves a lot of sturm und drang at the ancient Greek Olympics. The opera is rarely (if ever) performed today, but you needn't worry about that to enjoy the spirited overture.

The Bach piece (which comes next) is actually a late addition to the program, which originally included concertos by Corelli and Torelli, with British harpsichordist, organist, and conductor Laurence Cummings at the podium. But Mr. Cummings cancelled at the end of October, to be replaced by Chicago-born harpsichordist Jory Vinikour. Then, just a week ago, the Corelli and Torelli works were replaced by Bach's Italian Concerto, to be played by Mr. Vinikour.

The thing about the Italian Concerto is that it's neither Italian nor a concerto. It is, instead, a work for a two-manual harpsichord (i.e. one with two keyboards) "after the Italian taste" (as Bach described it), in which the different manuals of the instrument are used to represent the solo and tutti (orchestral) sections of a full concerto.

Statue of J.S. Bach in Leipzig

Bach wasn't the first composer to come up with this idea and he would be far from the last, but he was apparently one of the most skilled. Even Bach's pupil Johann Scheibe, who could sometimes be critical of his former teacher, had to admit, in a 1739 review, that Bach's was a "pre-eminent" example of the form: "Who is there who will not admit at once that this clavier concerto is to be regarded as a perfect model of a well-designed solo concerto? It would take as great a master of music as Mr. Bach to provide us with such a piece, which deserves emulation by all our great composers and which will be imitated all in vain by foreigners."

Scheibe, as you might have gathered from that last sentence, was a bit of German snob when it came to music, regarding the more ornamental Italian style of composition as overly complex and complicated. This was, in fact, his chief beef with Bach: his style of composition was too Italian.

That means Mr. Scheibe would probably not have appreciated the piece that closes the first half of the concert, Marcello's D minor Oboe Concerto. Not only is it very Italian, but it also, as Benjamin Pesetsky points out in his program notes, shows a strong operatic influence. "The first movement, Andante e spiccato," he writes, "could be a mid-tempo aria, while the Adagio is lyrical and mournful. The vigorous finale, Presto, resembles the "rage" arias of Baroque operatic heroes." In the solo spot for the concerto will be SLSO Principal Oboe Jelena Dirks.

The concerts will conclude with Vivaldi's popular The Four Seasons, in an unusual arrangement for mandolin and orchestra by the noted Israeli mandolin virtuoso Avi Avital, who will also play the solo part. That may sound a bit odd but, given that (as Mr. Pesetsky points out) the mandolin and violin share the same range and tuning, not as odd as you might think.

In its original form The Four Seasons was composed around 1720 (as with many aspects of Vivaldi's life, dates are foggy) and originally published as part of a set of twelve concertos titled Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione ("The Contest Between Harmony and Invention"). Each of the four three-movement concertos describes--often very vividly--aspects of a particular season. They were even accompanied by sonnets (anonymous, but probably by Vivaldi himself) that provide narratives for each concerto. You'll find English translations in this week's SLSO program notes.

Alessandro Marcello
Painter unknown

Combine that almost cinematic tone painting with Vivaldi's gift of melody and you have music that was destined to be popular. And it was, at least during Vivaldi's time. After his death, though, that all changed. Interest in his work faded, and copies of his music became scarce.

That began to change in 1926 when a boarding school in Piedmont discovered a huge cache of old manuscripts, including hundreds of works by Vivaldi. It aroused the interest of scholars and conductors, including Bernardino Molinari (1880-1952), who was then the conductor of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia.

He was also, as it happened, about to become a guest conductor at the St. Louis Symphony.

In January of 1928, Molinari brought the four newly rediscovered concertos that make up The Four Seasons to St. Louis for what would turn out to be their first American performances. He stretched the four concertos out over an entire month--"like the magazine serial stories," as the Post-Dispatch music critic, Thomas B. Sherman, wryly observed in his review of the first set of concerts. "Spring" was performed in a pair of concerts on Friday and Saturday, January 6 and 7. "Summer" was the following week, and the final two concertos were performed in concerts on January 27 and 28.

Mr. Sherman loved the SLSO performances, in any case, calling them "ingratiating, warm, and transparent" and describing the strings as "rich and unified." The Four Seasons would not appear as a unit on an SLSO program until 25 years later, when Vladimir Golschmann conducted them on February 20, 1953.

Interesting footnote: the Vivaldi was somewhat overshadowed in the January 27-29 concerts by the piano soloist. It was the "young Russian pianist" Vladimir Horowitz, who had arrived in the USA just two weeks before and had already created a sensation with the New York Philharmonic under Sir Thomas Beecham. Mr. Sherman loved Horowitz ("a powerful tone and a sparkling and expertly controlled technique") but hated the piece he played, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, calling it "as dull a thing as the noted Muscovite expatriate has ever done." History has rather overruled him that one.

The essentials: Jory Vinikour conducts The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with soloists Avi Avital, mandolin, and Jelena Dirks, oboe, on Friday at 10:30 am, Saturday at 8 pm, and Sunday at 3 pm, December 8--10. The performances take place at Powell Hall in Grand Center.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of December 4, 2017

The Gateway Men's Chorus

The Gateway Men's Chorus presents a selection of Hark, How the Bells on Friday and Saturday, December 8 and 9, at 8 pm "Share the comfort. Share the joy. Share the love. The Gateway Men's Chorus rings in its 31st concert season with an evening of warmth, whimsy, and well-wishes from our family to yours. The chorus is presenting an evening of traditional carols and new favorites, culminating in the presentation of Ralph Vaughan Williams' “Five Mystical Songs”, featuring soloist Dr. Robert McNichols, Jr and the Trinity Presbyterian Church Handbell Choir. The performances take place at Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information: gmcstl.org.

Jory Vinikour conducts The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with soloists Avi Avital, mandolin, and Jelena Dirks, oboe, on Friday at 10:30 am, Saturday at 8 pm, and Sunday at 3 pm, December 8 - 10. The concert features music by Vivaldi, Bach, and Marcello, including an arrangement of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons for mandolin and orchestra. The performance takes place at Powell Hall in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The St. Louis Wind Symphony

The St. Louis Wind Symphony performs on Friday, December 8, at 7 PM. The performance takes place in the Keating Theatre at Kirkwood High School, 801 W. Essex in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: stlwindsym.org.

The Washington University Department of Music presents a student chamber music recital on Tuesday, December 5, at 7 pm. The concert features music by Vivaldi, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Smetana, and takes place in Graham Chapel on the Washington University campus. For more information, music.wustl.edu or call 314-935-5566.

The Washington University Department of Music presents a Student Composers Showcase on Friday, December 8, at 7:30 pm. The concert takes place at the 560 Music Center at 560 Trinity in University City. For more information, music.wustl.edu or call 314-935-5566.

The Washington University Department of Music presents A Messiah Sing-Along on Sunday, December 10, at 3 pm. The event takes place in Graham Chapel on the Washington University campus. For more information, music.wustl.edu or call 314-935-5566.