Concerti Per Oboe

The Naïve label has been issuing several CDs a year in its continuing Vivaldi series whose purpose is to record all the music contained in the Vivaldi autograph manuscripts held in the National University Bibliotheque (Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria) in Turin, about 450 works in all. These manuscripts were those in Vivaldi's own home library at the time of his death in 1741.

This CD contains seven oboe concerti (presented in this order: RV 447, 455, 451, 463, 457, 453, 450). The oboist is Alfredo Bernardini, who is also one of the founding members of Zefiro. Three of the concerti (RV455, 463, 453) were originally recorded and released on the Astrée label in 1994. The others were recorded for this CD in 2008. These concerti represent a little less than half of the oboe concerti Vivaldi wrote. (One has to be careful about numbers when writing about Vivaldi's oeuvre because new works are always turning up.) The oboe had only recently been introduced in Italy when Vivaldi wrote his first work using the instrument. All of this CD's concerti have three movements. Some passages of note: in the slow movement of RV 455 the oboe is accompanied by unison violins alone and its finale is a jig; the finale of RV 451 quotes the 'Peccator videbit' movement of Vivaldi's familiar 'Beatus vir' (RV 597); the first movement of RV 450 uses the main theme from the aria 'Scocca dardi' from his opera 'Griselda' (also recorded in this series) Vivaldi: Griselda (Vivaldi Edition). The three concerti RV 450, 457 & 463 were adapted from three of Vivaldi's bassoon concerti.

The playing here is vigorous, soulful or songful in turn. Bernardini is a master of his instrument and Zefiro is completely in tune with his musical intentions.

Scott Morrison

Aside from his monumental contribution to string repertoire, Vivaldi had an unparalleled interest in writing for woodwinds. In his time the oboe was second to only the violin in popularity as a solo instrument. However, Vivaldi also took to writing for the bassoon, flute, recorder and even clarinet. Many of these instruments were new or in their youth, such as the transverse flute and the clarinet.

This exciting CD focuses on a wide variety of Vivaldi's concerto approaches for woodwinds. There are solo concerti for oboe and bassoon, concerti for four or more woodwinds and double concerti. This gives a wide perspective of Vivaldi's woodwind works that only omits his chamber concerti and sonatas. The recording is outstanding, not only for it's program, but for the enthusiasm of the performances. The soloists are excellent, with the oboes standing out while the bassoon playing is a bit dull at times compared with the work of Sergio Azzolini on Naive's concerti for oboe and bassoon release. The orchestra has a sharp edge and moving sense of rhythm. The balance suffers from a major loss of the bass instruments at various times throughout the recording which can be very annoying and taints an expert performance. The works included are:

Concerto in C for 2 Oboes and 2 Clarinets RV 559. This work is one of two for this combination, the other ends this album. Vivaldi here shows his skills including four soloists while moving the material along. This concerto is perhaps my favorite between the two for this combination. It's outer movements display a keen wit. Notable features include a slow intro (a feature shared by RV 560) and a slow movement in which the woodwind soloists accompany themselves without aid--it is a movement of stunning beauty and simplicity.

Concerto in A minor for Bassoon RV 497. This late work shows Vivaldi's penchant for surprise as he aged. The first movement starts out with a frantic blast, followed by a slower somber idea, then the ritornello is completed with more fury. Vivaldi writes with great daring for the bassoon and this work is no exception. Also notable is his late preference for a high degree of orchestral participation in the solos. The slow movement is a heavily ornamented delight.

Concerto in D minor for 2 Violins 2 Recorders 2 Oboes and Bassoon RV 566. Some evidence suggests this work was written for Dresden elector's orchestra, including the witty rewrite of a Veracini movement (who was an Italian working in Dresden) for the first movement. Both these composers seemed to have had hot blood! For me the charm of the ancient sounding slow movement for 2 recorders and bassoon is the highlight. In the last movement Vivaldi stamps the work as his own with his famous chromatic suspension motif in the ritornello.

Concerto in C for 2 Oboes RV 534. Vivaldi specifies this as concerto with two oboes not for two oboes. The passage work is based on short conversations between the soloists and the orchestra. While not totally symphonic the energy is from these dialogues, not from rhapsodic solo writing. Both outer movements sizzle while the slow movement brings to mind paddling on water.

Concerto in B flat major for Violin and Oboe RV 548. This fine work shows off Vivaldi's sensitivity for different instruments. While the two instruments are in close imitation, they also follow their own strengths. The most obvious example is the slow movement in which the oboe plays a glassy melody while the violin accompanies with appregioes, providing the waves in the lagoon.

Concerto in D minor for Oboe RV 454. This odd work was included in Vivaldi's opus 8. Its almost despondent mood goes against almost every oboe stereotype, excepting cantabile charm. The brutally off-beat opening ritornello with it's shocking chromatic runs is startling. The slow movement is classic cantabile while the last movement is a slightly disturbing country dance.

Concerto in C major for 2 Oboes and 2 Clarinets RV 560. This work starts with a majestic intro that leads into a festive movement notable for the soloists adding parts during the ritornello. This work feels more ceremonial and majestic than RV 559, which seems more pastoral. The light slow movement omits the clarinets, while the last movement seems a bit tipsy.

A great collection, one star off for bad balance muffling the bass line.

No matter how snazzy the suit or racy the joke, you'll reach a point where you need a wardrobe change or new writer. All good things must come to an occasional pause! Repetition drowns the life out of even our greatest pleasures, and few composers go under like Vivaldi. While his motor rhythms and driving sequences kick a program into fifth gear, a whole block of Vivaldi's distinctive energy can get tiresome. Stravinsky's quip that Vivaldi "wrote the same concerto 600 times" needs musical argument rather than rhetorical skill for rebuttal. Luckily the Italian period-instrument ensemble Zefiro are all stunning orators.

Seven works for oboe, strings and continuo, all in three movements of fast-slow-fast, doesn't suggest variety but Zefiro milks these sturdy forms for all they're worth. They put Vivaldi's signature sunniness through a prism and refract a range of expressive colors. The cat and mouse imitations of RV463's third movement ricochet off the grain of the strings. RV447's opening fanfares flop down in self-parody, and RV451's hustling lines paint a picture of rush hour on the Venetian lagoon. The use of one player per part has the light feel of 6 soloists, rather than soloist plus 5 piece orchestra.

Alfredo Bernardini's oboe still remains the focal point, and he revels in the instrument's glistening, nasal timbre. Even if its pinched flavor is not to your taste, Bernardini's personality seasons several courses. During the languorous slow movements, his bittersweet tone keeps things from turning cloying, while sharpening the trills and runs for the fast movements. On the nursery rhyme of RV447's final movement, another virtuoso might churn out the spiraling double-time variations like an exercise. Yet the sweat in Bernardini's sound tells us that every note speeding by means much more to him.

Composer/comedian Peter Schickele's "All-Baroque Radio" consisted of several scales, endlessly going up and down. Most of the time "it's funny 'cause it's true," but we can thank Zefiro for spoiling the joke. The conventions of Baroque music and Vivaldi take their rightful place in this band: familiar suggestions for how to direct their own creativity, not well-worn expectations to live up to. Hearing Bernardini and band burn through the Red Priest's runs reminded me that this was and still is music for intensity as well as reflection.