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CD reviews
Pietro Antonio LOCATELLI (1695 - 1764): "L'Arte del Violino - Complete Violin Concertos"
Igor Ruhadze, violin
Ensemble Violini Capricciosi
rec: Oct/Nov 2012, Jan/April/May 2013, Schiedam, Westvestkerk
Brilliant Classics - 94469 (5 CDs) (© 2013) (4.47'45")
Liner-notes: E
Cover & track-list
Parts
Concerto in E;
Concerto in A;
Concerto in D, op. 3,1;
Concerto in c minor, op. 3,2;
Concerto in F, op. 3,3;
Concerto in E, op. 3,4;
Concerto in C, op. 3,5;
Concerto in g minor, op. 3,6;
Concerto in B flat, op. 3,7;
Concerto in e minor, op. 3,8;
Concerto in G, op. 3,9;
Concerto in F, op. 3,10;
Concerto in A, op. 3,11;
Concerto in D, op. 3,12 'Il labirinto armonico'
Source:
L'arte del violino: XII concerti ... con XXIV capricci ad libitum, 1733
Daria Gorban, Rebecca Huber, violin;
Annemarie Kosten-Dür, Ivan Iliev, David Rabinovich, viola;
Mark Dupere, cello;
Joannis Babaloukas/Tomoki Sumiya, double bass;
Vaughan Schlepp, harpsichord
Pietro Antonio Locatelli was one of the first musicians who for some time travelled around as a performing virtuoso. That was between 1623 when he left Rome, and 1729 when he settled in Amsterdam where he would remain the rest of his life. Although he had come to Rome to take lessons from Corelli it is unlikely that he actually was his pupil, as the master was already ill when Locatelli arrived, and died in January 1713. He may have been the pupil of Giuseppe Valentini instead, who was known for his virtuosity. During his travelling years Locatelli was also in Venice. The concertos op. 3 which are the subject of this disc were dedicated to the Venetian patrician Girolamo Michele Lin. In 1725 he was in the service of Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, in Mantua, and in 1727 and 1728 he performed in Munich and Berlin.
One of the reasons that Locatelli settled in Amsterdam was the presence of music publishing firms which had an international reputation. He could not only take profit from the most sophisticated printing techniques of the time, but also from their commercial network. Amsterdam publishers printed music by the most famous composers of the time, such as Vivaldi, Corelli, Geminiani and Handel. His own Concerti grossi op. 1 were also printed here, in 1721. Soon he started to sell his own music and in 1731 he obtained a privilege for 30 years to print his own works. This resulted in the publication of seven collections, from the op. 2 to the op. 8. In 1733 he published his op. 3 under the title L'Arte del violino, comprising twelve concertos for violin, strings and bc. He added 24 capriccios for violin solo, one for every fast movement of the concertos, as a kind of cadenza.
In those days music was printed for performing musicians, and only in parts - scores did not exist. Question is how many violinists of those days were able to play the solo parts. The solos in the concertos as such are already difficult enough, although probably within the grasp of the best violinists of the time, but especially the capriccios are extremely difficult. If these concertos were played elsewhere it is possible that the capriccios were omitted. After all, there were added with the indication ad libitum. However, the publication may have been intended as a demonstration of Locatelli's own playing technique in the first place.
There is always the danger that compositions like these are mere demonstrations of playing technique and are of little musical value. That is not quite the case here. There is plenty to enjoy, and the slow movements are not devoid of expression. It is probably the capriccios which are more controversial. It is certainly compelling to hear the escapades on the violin and it is surprising how Locatelli explores its possibilities. Their musical quality is variable: the capriccio played in the closing movement of the Concerto No. 3 in F, for instance, is musically rewarding, but especially the Concerto No. 11 in A and its capriccios where Locatelli explores the highest positions of the violin, up to the 19th, is a demonstration of technical prowess rather than a substantial musical statement.
It is probably no coincidence that these concertos are less often played and recorded than, for instance, the violin concertos by Vivaldi or Tartini. Many of these are not easy either, but may have a stronger musical appeal to performers and audiences alike. Even so, this disc is to be welcomed, especially because of the impressive performances by Igor Ruhadze. It was said in his time that Locatelli always played in tune, but that his tone was coarse. Nothing of the latter can be noticed here, fortunately. Ruhadze produces a beautiful tone, and even in the most difficult passages there is no hint of stress in his tone. It is one of the virtues of these performances that they go beyond a technical exhibition. Ruhadze and his colleagues underline the musical substance of these concertos in a convincing manner.
The ensemble is rather small and performs with one instrument per part. That is a matter of choice; it is perfectly legitimate to play these concertos with a slightly larger ensemble. The tutti are performed well, but now and then I felt that there is a bit too much staccato playing, for instance in the opening movement of the Concerto No. 2 in c minor. It reminds me of the performances from the days before historical performance practice became the standard.
This complete recording of the op. 3 has two interesting additions: violin concertos which have not been published and have come down to us in manuscript. They seem a little more modest in their technical requirements, and I find them quite interesting and valuable additions to the catalogue. I don't know whether they have been recorded before, but I had never heard them. They definitely deserve to be part of the standard repertoire of professional violinists.
All things considered, this is a fine set, and if you want to get the best possible impression of what Locatelli's L'Arte del Violino is like, don't miss it.
Johan van Veen (© 2014)
Relevant links:
Igor Ruhadze