Vivica Genaux, Mezzo-Soprano, sings Vivaldi Pyrotechnics, with Europa Galante led by Fabio Biondi , by Roza Tulyaganova
Vivaldi Pyrotechnics
Vivica Genaux, Mezzo-Soprano
Europa Galante
Fabio Biondi, Violin and Director
Vivaldi - Sinfonia in C Major, RV 116
Vivaldi - "Quell'usignolo" fromFarnace, RV 711
Vivaldi - "Vorrei dirti il mio dolore" from Rosmira, RV 731
Nardini - Concerto for Violin in A Major, Op. 1, No. 1
Vivaldi - "Splender fra'l cieco orror" from Tito Manlio, RV 738
Vivaldi - "Alma oppressa" from La fida ninfa, RV 714
Vivaldi - Concerto in A Minor for Two Violins, Strings, and Continuo from L'estro armonico, Op. 3, No. 8
Vivaldi - "E prigioniero e re" fromSemiramide, RV 733
Vivaldi - "Come in vano il mare irato" from Catone in Utica, RV 705
P.A. Locatelli - Concerto grosso in E-flat Major, Op. 7, No. 6, "Il pianto d'Arianna"
Vivaldi - "Agitata da due venti" from Adelaide, RV 718
Let's start with the hall. I've been living in New York for about seven years, and it was my first time in Zankel Hall. I don't know why. It's a beautiful hall except for one huge problem: the subway! The noise was so obvious. Also, I feel that for this kind of music this hall is not the best choice. Baroque music in general is not very loud and therefore needs a hall that has really live acoustics, even church-like acoustics, and Zankel Hall does not have anything like that.
The concert started with the Sinfonia in C Major RV 116 (1729) by Vivaldi. It's been a long time since I've heard such a great ensemble. You could feel Europa Galante's team spirit. Their dynamics were exceptional, and their "togetherness" was just breathtaking—not simply a matter of playing together on the same beat, but of a real unanimity in tone, phrasing, and rhythm.
