Baroque

It is like rock and roll for a violinist to discover his music. So many different patterns within a definite form. So much passion in Vivaldi to push our instrument to its limits, as far as he could.

For me, this music expresses the joy, sun, excitement, vitality, passion, and all the feelings and experiences you encounter in Venice, including the light, different smells, colours of the sky and buildings, the sounds of the crowd, the special energy of the people.

Vivaldi’s music is strongly connected to the Carnival. Even if mainly operas were written for that period, the music business was strongly focussed on this, the most festive time of the year. I feel that instrumental music was no less affected by this Carnival energy than opera.

Stefan Plewniak

And thus, Stefan Plewniak’s anthology is inspired by the astounding variety of the 230 violin concertos written by Vivaldi. It reflects a very personal choice made by the Polish violinist and conductor according to how he was touched by their diverse character, their virtuosity, varying personality and expressivity.

Two of them, RV 237 and RV 242, both in D minor, were composed for Vivaldi’s friend Johann Georg Pisendel (1687-1755). Considered one of the greatest German violin virtuosos of the late Baroque period, Pisendel was well acquainted with Telemann, Graupner, J. S. Bach. Moreover, he was concertmaster of the famous court orchestra of the Electorate of Saxony in Dresden. Part of the Elector’s entourage visiting Venice in 1616/17, Pisendel became a great friend of Vivaldi’s, who dedicated him a number of sonatas, concertos and a sinfonia. The first movement of the Concerto RV 237 – with the solo part written in the seemingly free and improvised style of a capriccio – , and the wild third movement of RV 242 exhibit Pisendel’s outstanding technical craftsmanship, the boundless freedom and overwhelming vitality of his playing. They are still a great challenge and inspiration for any soloist today.

The Concerto in C, RV 177, was selected for its operatic dramaturgy and the way in which the main themes are presented. The memorable rhythmical pattern that runs through the first movement of RV 177 shows the clockwork mechanics of an Italian opera overture that seems to look far ahead into the future, even foreboding Rossini’s most popular specimens from this genre. And indeed, Vivaldi evidently sensed that this propelling quality was befitting for an opera when he reused it as an opening to L’Olimpiade. The second movement, on the other hand, brightens up the atmosphere with a hauntingly beautiful melody, which may well be imagined as an opera aria, while in the third extremely energetic moments are interspersed with graceful solos.

English version

Similar striking contrasts and narrative moments characterize the Concerto in E minor, RV 273, presumably one of Vivaldi’s last concertos for violin. Whereas in the first movement some of them clearly evoke the style of the Four Seasons, the second is pervaded by an unusually heart-rendering sadness, a mood which the last movement managest o disperse only in part.

The Concerto in D, RV 208, finally, is one of the rarest gems amongst Vivaldi’s violin concertos. Its title „Grosso Mogul“ possibly refers to an opera libretto popular at the time, even though Vivaldi himself used it only two decades later for his opera Argippo, produced

in Vienna and Prague in 1730. The cadenzas in this concerto are unique in that Vivaldi fully wrote them out in the first and third movement, while the second is improvised in a gipsy or pseudo- Indian style alluding to the work’s exotic title.

Until the late 20th century, Vivaldi had been remembered only for his Four Seasons, some other violin concertos, maybe the Gloria. Although it is true that he wrote about 500 concertos, he was in his time an extremely popular composer of nearly 50 operas, which after his death were soon forgotten and only very recently rediscovered one by one.

But from the music presented on this CD it is evident that Vivaldi himself did not see any particular boundary between the genres: his instrumental music can be songlike, even grand and operatic, while we realize today just how many of his vocal works contain beautiful lines and strings of ornaments that might as well suit the masterful bowing of an excellent violinist. Naturally, the baroque affetti – the standardised basic emotions generated in the listener by a particular type of music – determine both Vivaldi’s instrumental and vocal oeuvre. It is Vivaldi’s free and imaginative play with the affetti, however, the feeling of sunlight and elation, which set him apart from so many other composers and make his music so unique and enjoyable.

Poland’s fascinating location on worlds maps is often discussed in the context of past centuries. It’s central location in Europe was one of the reasons for many political disagreements, but it also allowed for numerous and rich cultural exchanges. The meetings of East and West has many dimentions and, in this context, Poland lies in the center, linking various cultures and religions and
serving as carrier of diverse cultural and social trends. Traveling to the XVII century we can observe amazing process in which Poland played important role of the fighter, being one of the military super powers, but also role of important cultural partner for the countries from North, South, East and West.
The XVII century for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth it was the time of the military and political importance in Europe. Time of many battles and wars against empires like Sweden and Turkey, but also against Russia and Zaporozhian Cossacks.

Open to the West, Polish literatury and musical culture drew on the discoveries and ideas emanating from Venice, Padua, and other important centres in Italy. Sweden during the “Age of Greatness” (1648-1721) by communication with Poland and other countries in northern Europe was growing and flourishing culturaly.

On the other hand Polish political environment during the seventeenth century places it against the Ottoman Empire’s Islamic culture. Fascinated by the influence of the totally different Oriental world, Poland engaged in a cultural exchange with the Seraglio – the Topkapi Palace and residence of the Ottoman Slutans – with the colorful figure of Wojciech Bobowski – his Turkish name: Alī Ufqī : Horizon (1610 – 1675) who was a musician, a composer, a painter, and as a multilingual interpreter who made a brilliant career in diplomacy of the Sublime Porta. Born in Poland in 1610 he was captured by Tartars and sold as a slave to the seraglio in Istanbul, where he spent next 20 years and where his incomparable skills could shine: he played instruments and as the first he wrote down turkish music (with european notes). His psalms written in a european, but very simple (Calvinist) manner, sung in Turkish language and probably in Turkish way, possibly with an accompaniament of instruments from the seraglio… This was a real meeting point and melting pot of west-east tradition.

Traveling to the Nordic countries we can find Adners and Gustav von Düben who belongs to one of the most important musical families in XVII century Sweden. Gustav was born and died in Stockholm. He was the son of the German-born Andreas Düben, who had been organist at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, and son of the composer and court kapellmeister Anders Düben (the Younger). In 1663, he succeeded his father as both hovkapellmästare, director of the Royal Swedish Court Orchestra, and organist of the German St Gertrud Church in Stockholm.

Polish music of 17th century is expressed in the genious composers of Mikołaj Zieleński, Marcin Mielczewski, and Bartłomiej Pękiel, mostly in Venetian style. The casp of the 16th and 17th centuries in Italy marks the development of the opera on the one hand, and the blossoming of the church music on the other. The need for contrasts, the introduction of instruments to lithurgical music, polychoral music, and the concertizing style – all part of the Venetian School – were taken up and developed further on polish soil by various local composers who studied this style abroad. Mikołaj Zieleński’s ( c.1500 – c. 1616 ) Offertoria et Communiones were published in Venice in 1611. His style was highly regarded in the city on water. Zieleński’s younger compatriot, Marcin Mielczewski ( c.1600 – c.1651 ) used Renaissance techniques for liturgical forms and applied canti firmi of Gregorian origin into his compositions but, as a master of counterpoint, he also gave them a modern and powerful sound in terms of tonality and instrumentation. The youngest Bartłomiej Pękiel ( ? – c.1670 ) served the court in Warsaw from at least 1633. He was the assistant to Marco Scacchi when the latter was head of the Royal Chapel there, and later was Kapellmeister himself from 1649 to 1655. His music stile and expression is real treasure needed to be rediscovered.

Originality of the project lies in this juxtaposition of three worlds – Nordic, East and West – and in a showing a way necessary to achieve their synthesis in language, religion, and culture – a way originated in the works and lifes of 17th-century musicians from so many different and far backgrounds.

1. Fulget in templo legifer – anthem to st. Wojciech (Anonymus, XIII w.)
2. Anonymous – Tabulatur Joannis de Lublin (1490 – 1550 ) – Rex
3. Anonymous – Tabulatur Joannis de Lublin (1490 – 1550) – Szewczyk
4. Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki (1665 1734) – Laetatus sum
5. Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki (1665 1734) – In Virtute tua
6. Heinrich Isaac von Biber (1644 1704) Battalia
7. Mikołaj Zieleński (1550 – 1616) – Offertoria totius anni – Magnificat
8. Ali Ufki/Wojciech Bobowski (1610 – 1675) – Uyan Ey Gözlerim Gafletten Uyan
9. Psallat chorus in hac die – sekwencja o św. Stanisławie (Graduał KlarysekGnieźnieńskich, XIII w.)
10. Anonymous – Cantional Zamoyskich – Pieśń o posiędźieniu y o zniewoleniużałosnym ziemie węgierskiey
11. Johann Joseph Fux (1660 – 1741) – Turcaria – Eine musikalische Beschreibung derBelagerung Wiens durch die Türken anno 1683
12. Marcin Mielczewski (1600 – 1651) – Triumphalis Dies – Ode to st.Marcin
13. Tabulatura Amoenitatum Musicalium Hortulus – Caspar Klosemann (1616 – 1657)
14. Mikołaj Gomółka – Już się zmierzka

Throughout the early to mid Eighteenth Century, Venice, Italy was considered to be one of the most exciting, alluring, and culturally diverse cities throughout Europe. The grandeur attracted a multitude of intellects, artists, musicians, travelers, foreigners, merchants, traders, prostitutes, tourists, nobility, and clergy alike, (Hanning, pp.263-264). Venice was a city filled with excitement and adventure.

What Ospedale means exactly? Ospedale (literally “hospital”) should be seen in a broader perspective than we use the word. It can mean hospital, but it also is “sanitarium,” “orphanage,” or any number of institutions of that era.

The Ospedale della Pietà was one of four such homes in Venice. The Pietà took in mostly girls, and by Vivaldi’s time had become well known for the quality of the musical education. The girls of the Pietà became such accomplished musicians that by Vivaldi’s time the institution had developed a reputation as one of the best music school in Europe. In XVIII century Italy, however, there occurred a veritable explosion of musical activity in these ospedali, orphanages-turned-conservatories. This was especially true in Venice and Naples.

In Venice as early as the XIV century there were already four functioning ospedali: the Ospedale dei Mendicanti (originally for lepers and later beggars), once visited by Goethe who wrote of it, “I never imagined such voices could exist,” the Ospedaletto di SS. Giovanni e Paulo – a poorhouse and orphanage, and the Conservatorio degl’ Incurabili as the name implies. Finally there was the extraordinary Ospedale della Pietà. The Pietà Hospital had been founded in 1346. It was an institution for orphaned or illegitimate girls, foundlings and the female children of poor families. Already in the 17 th century this ospedale had achieved fame for its work with disadvantaged girls, especially for their singing and instrumental musicianship.

Vivaldi`s connection with the Pieta began in 1703 and lasted nearly forty years until 1740. In 1704 he was named Maestro di Violino di Choro. He also was in charge of of purchasing musical instruments.. He later became a violin teacher, Master of Concerts and resident composer. He was required to compose two masses per year – for Easter and the Feast of the Visitation, two Vesper services a year and two new motets each month among other things. Vivaldi worked daily with girls, writing and performing music for their special needs, choral and instrumental works. The girls were divided into two categories: the figlie di comun or commoners who received a general education and the figlie di coro or choristers and musicians who received an exactin musical training in solfeggio, singing and instrumental technique. Vivaldi supervised the teaching and served as concert master and composer. The reputation of the Pieta surpassed anything in Europe and drew visitors from all over Europe. Even Pope Pius IV came to hear the girls play and sing. The putte did not travel and were not allowed to perform outside the ospedale.

Ever since the Renaissance, Italy became a Mecca for students and musicians who would make the long pilgrimage to Italy to absorb the spirit and culture found there. In later centuries the trek continued until modern times. Mozart, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Liszt were but a few of the many great musicians who drew inspiration from all that sunny Italy had to offer. Yet it seems the miracle of the 18th century ospedale and the Pieta was never to flower again.