“Autumn” and three otherVivaldi concertos comprise the famous set TheFour Seasons, of course. MSO concertmaster Frank Almond was soloist, withMcGegan at the harpsichord. Last spring Almond performed two Vivaldi concertosat Frankly Music employing a Baroque style that only used vibrato as a coloringdevice, producing fascinating, edgy results. I’ve heard Almond play The Four Seasons in the past with asinging, traditional vibrato-rich violin tone, which was undeniably beautiful.The performance Friday night lay somewhere between those two approaches. It wasgenerally a lighter sound throughout, with a light use of vibrato, and at fleettempos. Long lines and phrase were a strong suit. Blazing bravura wasimpressive at times. Almond seemed to be experimenting a bit in how to playthis music, which I found very interesting, fresh and engaging, even if therewere times I wanted sharper commitment to one style or another.
The concert opened withBritish composer Thomas Ad%uFFFDs’Three Studies from Couperin, highlysophisticated, subtle and detailed works. Schubert’s Symphony No. 4, the“Tragic,” was heard after intermission. The orchestra performed well, withbuoyant tone in response to McGegan’s playful and light-handed leadership. Ican’t say I’m anxious to hear this symphony again anytime soon. I don’t find itto be a work for the ages.
Earlier in the weekAlmond’s Frankly Music chamber series departed custom by presenting guestartists, the string quartet Brookyn Rider, at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Theseyoung players presented an anti-romantic performance of Debussy’s StringQuartet in G minor, with very light vibrato, stressing the abstractness of thepiece. The string tone was without vibrato almost completely in the other workson the program. A contemporary, lean, unfussy sound emerged. Philip Glass’String Quartet No. 4 came through with mesmerizing effectiveness. Contemporaryclassical fiddling sounds sizzled in music by Giovanni Sollima.
