On September 20th, the Grand Hall of the Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire was filled with the sounds of Baroque music, marking the end of this year’s Festival Night Serenades 2024. The festival, founded by Georgian violinist Liana Isakadze, is known for its ability to blend traditional music with contemporary flair, and the final concert, titled “Vivaldi and Friends,” was a perfect example of this.
Led by dynamic performers Andres Gabetta on violin and Maurice Steger on recorder, the program paid tribute to Antonio Vivaldi and his Baroque contemporaries, taking the audience on a journey back to 18th-century Europe. Accompanied by the Festival Base Orchestra Georgian Virtuosi, the evening was not just a concert, but a profound musical experience that captured the essence of Baroque innovation.
The pairing of Gabetta, a renowned Baroque violinist, with Steger, often called the “Paganini of the recorder,” was a stroke of genius. Their collaboration created an electric atmosphere in the hall, drawing the audience into the heart of the music. Gabetta’s fiery interpretation and Steger’s playful, virtuosic recorder performance complemented each other, showcasing the emotional and technical extremes of the Baroque repertoire.
The repertoire for the night was primarily composed of Vivaldi’s masterpieces, but also included works by his contemporaries such as Pietro Locatelli. This provided a broad scope of the musical dialogues of the time. Gabetta’s powerful and energetic playing brought out the driving rhythms and intricate counterpoint, while Steger’s unparalleled breath control and ornamentation demonstrated the recorder’s potential as a solo instrument.
The performance by the Georgian Virtuosi was emotionally nuanced. As the festival came to an end, the orchestra was determined to make this final concert a memorable one. Their sensitivity to the soloists allowed for moments of breathtaking dialogue, where each section of the orchestra interacted seamlessly with the individual lines of the violin and recorder.
Vivaldi and Friends was not just a tribute to Vivaldi, but to the entire Baroque era, a time when music was both complex and emotionally charged. Gabetta and Steger embraced this duality, with Gabetta showcasing the full expressive power of his violin, from rapid, virtuosic runs to delicate, lyrical passages. Steger’s nuanced approach to the recorder added layers of beauty and intrigue to the ensemble.
By including compositions from Vivaldi’s contemporaries, such as a stormy and dramatic piece by Pietro Locatelli, the concert struck a balance between the familiar brilliance of Vivaldi and darker, more introspective works. These pieces, full of technical challenges, allowed both Gabetta and Steger to showcase their skills and demonstrate the complexity of Baroque music.
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