Pyrotechnia: Fire and Fury from 18th-Century Italy

Format
Audio
ISBN
0801918342493

Pyrotechnia: Fire and Fury from 18th-Century Italy

Bojan Čičić and his ensemble present four virtuosic concertos, showcasing the legacy of Vivaldi’s incredible panache as a performer as well as the earliest origins of what would eventually become the solo violin caprice.

Contemporary accounts of the violin playing of Antonio Vivaldi, the ‘Red Priest’, show the extent to which he raised the instrument to hitherto unknown extremes of soloistic virtuosity - able, in its spontaneity and sonorous brilliance, to hold its own against an orchestra in fiery and unforgettably dramatic confrontations.

Thanks to Vivaldi’s pupils, eager to imitate the master’s wilder imaginings, several of his impro- vised cadenzas have been preserved.

Here, they inspire typically white-hot performances from Bojan Čičić and The Illyria Consort of four violin concertos by Vivaldi, Tartini and Locatelli which all have movements ending in a ‘capriccio’ - a sequence designed to show that the idea of a virtuosic display cadenza, usually associated with the classical concerto of a later period, had already developed during the first half of the eighteenth century. Fittingly, the album’s title is borrowed from John Babington, author of the earliest guide to fireworks published in Europe - Pyrotechnia!

Review

Vivaldi’s music has been played around the world for hundreds of years, and yet still I am astounded with the beauty and technical proficiency required by musicians to truly make this music jump off the page. And it certainly jumps off the page in this exciting new recording by Croatian-born violinist Bojan Čičić and his Illyria Consort.

The album comprises two violin concertos by Vivaldi, and one each from Tartini and Locatelli. Comparing these particular concertos to fireworks is not far off the mark. The explosions of sound, with moments of rest and breath interspersed between them, show the bright colours of music in the same way fireworks parade their colours visually. Vivaldi was, of course, known for his musical virtuosity and composition, and his wild improvised cadenzas are the stuff of legend. His students actually transcribed some of the cadenzas in an effort to learn from his genius. Lucky they did as it means we now get to appreciate the raw beauty of one of the most popular composers of all time in Western Art Music. Vivaldi was a superstar in his time, and these concertos are all about showcasing the soloist, and Čičić does a terrific job leading these musical fireworks.


Kate Rockstrom is a friend of Readings.

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