Rachel Podger
03/16/2013 First Congregational Church, Berkeley, CA
Rachel Podger, violin and leader
Elizabeth Blumenstock, Katherine Kyme, Carla Moore, violins
The Italian Violin
CORELLI Concerto Grosso No. 1 in D major, Op. 6
VIVALDI Concerto for Violin in A major, RV 348 from La cetra, Op. 9 No. 6
MOSSI Concerto for Four Violins in G minor, Op. 4 No. 12
VIVALDI Concerto for Two Violins in A major, RV 519 from L’estro armonico, Op. 3 No. 5
PERGOLESI Concerto for Violin in B-flat major
LOCATELLI Concerto for Four Violins in F major No. 12, Op. 4
其實2013年三月是聽音樂會相當忙碌的一個月。三月初就已有Canconier和Voices of Music那兩場音樂會了。但是這個月我最期待的，莫過於Rachel Podger來灣區客座指揮Philharmonia Baroque的這場。由於上班的原故，所以只能挑週末在Berkeley那一場，而且還邀了幾位朋友一同前去欣賞。
音樂會的曲子沒有一首是沒聽過的，只不過有幾首比較其他的熟悉而已～～這晚清一色全是義大利作曲家的絃樂協奏曲，從Corelli的大協奏曲到Vivaldi與Pergolesi的獨奏小提琴協奏曲。
羅馬派曲式的作品有「大協奏曲之父」Corelli的大協奏曲以及Mossi和Locatelli的四小提琴協奏曲。雖說是四小提琴協奏曲，但其實就是將大協奏曲的精神繼續延伸，將原本的兩把小提琴(+大提琴)擴充為四把。雖說旋律可以在四小提琴之間相互模仿，不過大部份時候四把小提琴主要還是以兩兩配對的模式出場，而這樣也足以製造出更飽滿的音色。
Corelli的作品六之一協奏曲，是我非常熟悉的。Podger當然是擔任獨奏樂器群(concertino)的第一小提琴，邊指揮著樂團。由於是Corelli大協奏曲的關係，所以Podger的個人風格這時尚未突顯出來。整體而言，Podger帶領的PBO相當生龍活虎。讓我有類似感覺的客座指揮，應該就只有Dantone那次，以及多年前參加過Blumenstock指揮PBO的一場。
到Mossi和Locatelli的協奏曲時，就比較能注意到四位獨奏家。參與演出的其餘三位小提琴，都是灣區常見到的古樂家Elizabeth Blumenstock，Carla Moore，以及Katherine Kyme。有念過我其他格文的，會知道我對Blumenstock的演奏一向是贊不絕口的。Carla Moore，則是中規中矩，非常紮實。而Katherine Kyme，應該是三人中稍嫌弱的。雖然也是走中庸路線，但常常狀況及音準容易不穩定。
Mossi和Locatelli的四小提琴協奏曲之間相較起來，Mossi對我比較中聽。雖然Locatelli那首名氣比較響亮些，但我一直沒有很喜歡。我一向認為那不是Locatelli最好的作品，而它常被演奏和灌錄，或許只是一些視覺和聽覺上的效果吧。畢竟，看見主題被四小提琴踢皮球式傳來傳去，還算有些趣味。只是，這首結構有點鬆散，比之Vivaldi更有名的那首，少了張力。
至於四位獨奏家，因為Podger和Blumenstock大膽豪邁，與Moore和Kyme的約束保守形成儼然的對比，所以音樂此刻是雪亮或是灰暗的，要看當下輪到誰在演奏～～
而獨奏小提琴的部份，有Vivaldi作品九之二和Pergolesi的協奏曲。因為焦點全放在Podger一人身上，可以更直接地聆聽她的表演。Podger是位有生命力的演奏家，不論在強弱，節奏，或是樂句處理上，都相當有變化，讓音樂完全不會平淡無味。和許多義大利巴洛克小提琴家比起來，Podger詮釋上的彈性並不會帶來那種意想不到的驚喜，而是順著音樂自然的走向而做出的選擇。聽到她演奏上和自己預期不同時，感覺卻又是那麼理所當然。
Vivaldi的作品九La Cetra，是當初獻給神聖羅馬帝國皇帝Charles六世的，因此品質自然相當高。不過，要論吸引人的程度，終究是比不上前一作品八裡的「四季」。Podger演奏第六號協奏曲，雖然有活力而且非常到位，但這首沒給我留下深刻的印象。
Pergolesi那首小提琴協奏曲，是整晚曲目中寫得最晚的曲子。Pergolesi英年早逝，留下的作品不多，而且大多以聲樂為主。這首協奏曲是他少數的純器樂曲，而Pergolesi本身是位出色的小提琴家，所以演奏這首所需要的技巧是很明顯的。這首的風格算是半隻腳踏進古典時期的，我其實並不是非常喜歡這時期的作品。不過這種羅可可風格的音樂有時對比可以強烈，所以能給演奏者許多表現與詮釋的機會。讓我印象特別深刻的是第三樂章在開頭主題裡的樂句間Podger帶領PBO時刻意做的停頓。除了一定的新鮮感，其實還帶了幾分詼諧。在坐的其中一位朋友倒是很愛這首～～
不過，整場音樂會我最喜歡的一首，是Vivaldi作品三之五的雙小提琴協奏曲。另一位小提琴是由Blumenstock擔任，而兩位重量級女士的合奏，可謂是霹靂的組合。沒有「保守勢力」的羈絆，她們的表演更加強勁，演奏能量並互相感染和加成。到了激奮的第三樂章，情緒更是進入了當晚的高潮。結束時，我加入了其他觀眾，一邊股掌並一邊歡呼。
音樂會是由上述的Locatelli協奏曲結束。不過，古樂界名氣那麼大的Podger好不容易來到這兒，豈可放過她給安可曲的機會？在大家不斷的熱烈掌聲下，Podger終究是感受到了。在一晚的亢奮下，她選擇演了Vivaldi作品四之一協奏曲的慢樂章，在優美清靜的氣氛之下正式落幕。
音樂會結束，作為一位古樂粉絲，自然找了她要簽名與合影。因為她的簽名實在是太可愛了，會附上笑臉，所以這次特別放上來分享～～（同時特別炫耀一下 :D)
March of 2013 turned out to be a busy month in terms of concertgoing. Besides the Canconier and Voices of Music concerts which I previously reviewed and enjoyed, the one I really looked forward to was this one where Rachel Podger guest conducts the PBO. Having to go up to Berkeley on the weekend, I hit up two friends in the area and went to the concert together.
None of the pieces played this night were any surprises or unknown to me. Some, of course, were more familiar to me than others. It was a night of Italian concertos, much like the Dantone concert a few years back. In fact, there were quite a few things about this concert that reminded me of the Dantone one. Besides the obvious similarity of an all-Italian program, the PBO under Podger's direction also played with more vitality.
Both the Roman-style and Ventian-style concertos are represented. First and foremost on the program was a concerto by the pioneer of the concerto grosso, Corelli. It's a piece I could not have been more familiar with. While you do get to hear Podger's moments of good solo playing, Corelli's music generally does not tend to highlight that, and so I had to wait for the other pieces.
The concert also features two concertos for 4 violins, one by Mossi and another by the more famous Locatelli. While seemingly in the "concerto for soloists" category, in actuality these pieces are extensions of the concerto grosso, with an effective doubling of the concertino violins. A melodic line can now be juggled and passed on between the 4 violins, although most the times the violins are paired up and play in unison or thirds. More complex texture also comes in the form of the ripieno playing with the soloists instead of utter silence.
Of the two 4-violin concertos, I liked the Mossi better. While Locatelli's piece is arguably more well-known, I was never a big fan of it. Many many years ago, I heard the English Concert play the piece under the direction of Andrew Manze, and I went home with the same feeling of a minor letdown. Somehow, it just isn't Locatelli's finest. It lacks a certain cohesiveness and fluidity that the most famous example in the genre, Vivaldi, so finely has. Mossi's piece is obviously written in an earlier style, but it's one that I am fond of.
Joining Podger for the remaining three violins are local female Baroque violinists. Blumenstock, a favorite of mine, never ceases to amaze and impress me with her playing. Moore can be expected to put in a solid performance, albeit not as inventive as Blumenstock. Kyme is probably the weakest link among the trio/quartet. While her playing is also on the careful side, it suffers occasionally from uneven tones and mistakes more so than the others. Thus, the boldness of Podger and Blumenstock is a clear contrast to the lukewarmness of Moore and Kyme. How the performance felt at any given moment depended strongly on who was the soloist that instant.
Then there were the solo violin concertos of the Venetian style, developed into maturity under Vivaldi. Now the spotlight on Podger, one is able to zone in on her playing. Podger always struck me as a dynamic player with vigor, varying dynamics, tempi, and phrasing of the music so it's never dull. Compared to those really daring Italian Baroque violinists out there that can truly be unpredictable, Podger never throws in stuff like that. Her flexibility in musical interpretation is based naturally out of the music itself. When she does do anything that breaks my expectations, it seems yet so rightfully justified and convincing.
Among the solo concertos Podger played, the first one was a concerto by Vivaldi from his op.9 collection, dedicated to Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. With such an important dedicatee, Vivaldi must have thought highly of the quality of his work, and it rightfully is. Podger plays the 6th concerto musically and tastefully. However, the music itself lacks the flair and appeal of Vivaldi's most famous earlier op.8 collection, and so it did not leave quite a big mark for me as I was hoping.
The other solo violin concerto was the one written by Pergolesi. A Neopolitan composer who died very young (and achieved great posthumous fame) who is better known by his vocal compositions, Pergolesi was in fact an accomplished violinist. The piece is a quite a virtuosic one, which is immediately apparent to those in the audience. Written in the late Baroque period, it is has many traits of the early Classical style. While this galant style may not interest me as much as piece more firmly rooted in the Baroque mold, drama is built into the music which provides the musicians many opportunities for artistic freedom on theatricality. One thing that stood out was how Podger takes the opening motif of the 3rd movement, intentionally sitting on the pauses between the phrases. It sounded refreshing and even humorous. One of my friends certainly liked it a lot.
However, the piece I felt was the high point of the concert was the Vivaldi double violin concerto from his op.3. Pairing up with Elizabeth Blumenstock and not bound by the "conservative forces" that be, this dynamic duo was free to take it to even further soaring heights. Feeding off each other's energy, their playing was simply electrifying going into the final movement. When the piece ended, I found myself joining the rest of the audience applauding and cheering along.
The official concert ended with the Locatelli concerto. Under the undying applause of the audience, however, Podger came back and treated us with a nice encore. It turned out to be the slow movement of the first concerto of Vivaldi's op.4 "La Stravaganza", a set Podger has recorded in its entirety (which I also own). In a night of musical excitement for the most part, the concert ended in a lyrical and peaceful mood.
And then there was the early music fanboy in me to ask her to autograph my CDs. Normally, I don't share them on this blog, but the happy faces she draws for every signature were just too cute not to put on, so here it is:
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