Proms Saturday Matinee 2: B’Rock (8.08.15)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

15:00
Cadogan Hall

B'rock, mezzo-soprano Mary-Ellen Nesi and Dmitry Sinkovsky live at the BBC Proms with 18th-century Italian music by Vivaldi, Caldara and Geminiani.

Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in C major, RV 177 (Allegro ma poco; Largo)
Vivaldi: Sinfonia al Santo Sepolcro, RV 169
Caldara: Quel buon pastor son io (from La morte d'Abel)
Geminiani: Concerto grosso in D minor, Op. 5 No. 12, 'La folia'
Vivaldi: Longe mala, umbrae, terrores, RV 629
Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in D major, RV 208, 'Grosso Mogul'
Vivaldi: In furore iustissimae irae, RV 626

Mary-Ellen Nesi (mezzo-soprano)
B'Rock - Baroque Orchestra Ghent
Dmitry Sinkovsky (violin/countertenor/director)

In the first of a pair of Proms Saturday Matinees dedicated to early music, Belgian Baroque ensemble B'Rock makes its Proms debut with a programme of 18th-century Italian music. Orchestral pieces and solo motets by Vivaldi sit alongside music by Caldara - a famous castrato showpiece - and Geminiani, whose variations on the famous 'La folia' theme rival Scarlatti's, Lully's and Corelli's for rhythmic urgency and virtuosity.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I must admit to not knowing the Caldara.

[doversoul1]

Try this. Sorry, I can’t pick up the actual post but the last of the thread.

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?4476-Early-music-on-TTN&p=499937#post499937

Nothing earth shatteringly amazing but I quite enjoy it, and Mary-Ellen Nesi is very impressive in this (if you like this sort of thing, that is).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhkQurdInGY

[ed.] Oh… ignore this if you meant that you didn’t know this particular work.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

[ed.] Oh… ignore this if you meant that you didn’t know this particular work.

I did, but your link was informative nevertheless.

[doversoul1]

This?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfgTWB5zXh4

Caldara: La Morte d'Abel - Quel buon pastor son io • Cecilia Bartoli • Il Giardino Armonico • Giovanni Antonini

I can’t say I enjoy Bartoli’s baroque singing but the ensemble is one of my favourite.

[ed.] Sorry to get carried away but here is another Caldara’s oratorio if anybody is interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlBaOMo0by4

Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo – Oratorium

Rather awkward format but the libretto in an English translation here

http://www.andreasschollsociety.org/maddalena_libretto.htm

[doversoul1]

3.00 pm today.
It won’t be a profound musical experience but should be an enjoyable concert.

[Roehre]

3.00 pm today.
It won’t be a profound musical experience but should be an enjoyable concert.

Not completely to my taste- but I must admire the coherence of the program. Excellent IMVHO

[doversoul1]

I thoroughly enjoyed this concert. It was a good programme to show off Vivaldi as more than a composer who wrote the same violin concerto 500 times. It was great fun.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I thoroughly enjoyed this concert. It was a good programme to show off Vivaldi as more than a composer who wrote the same violin concerto 500 times. It was great fun.

Ah yes, Stravinsky's comment , though Vivaldi "only" wrote 230 violin concertos. I didn't hear the whole concert, but recorded it, so shall listen later.

[Anna]

Not something that is usually to my taste but I really enjoyed this excellent concert, well worth a listen for those that missed it.

[bluestateprommer]

Not something that is usually to my taste but I really enjoyed this excellent concert, well worth a listen for those that missed it.

Indeed, a very fine concert by B'Rock, maybe a bit rough around the edges at times (perhaps a result of the engineering), but well done. It struck me how well The Proms have done in the last several years with inviting various period instrument and baroque-era ensembles for their first Proms appearances, and B'Rock fits very nicely in that tradition.