The audience initially did not know what to make of the small Venetian Italian string band invited to perform in London by sound engineer and producer Mike Valentine. Playing at St Johns Smith Square on Saturday the 14th July 2014 , they had to compete for attention with England’s first world cup match held later that night.
With the programme dominated by Vivaldi, (their home base a stone’s throw from the Academia) the concert included several Vivaldi pieces plus Marais and Sarasate. Heading off with a flying start the first half was devoted to a spirited and powerful rendition of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, the available forces allowing the delightful harpsichord continuo accompaniment by Paolo Cognolato to carry more weight than usual so revealing this part to have significant structure and interest.
The sound in St Johns was very clear and the small forces made it easy to hear every musician individually and en ensemble. Small lapses in absolute virtuosity were balanced by an infectious, at times almost demonic enthusiasm, and for each piece solo parts were taken by different players revealing their characters and the particular quality of their instruments. The second half comprised more Vivaldi, the Symphony for Strings and Harpsichord and the Concerto for Two violins, Strings and Harpsichord a short symphony a cello concerto.
While it would be unfair to single out a player, cellist Davide Amadio performed so spectacularly with his version of the Marais Folia variations that he brought the house to its feet wildly clapping and cheering. A similar response was evoked for violinist Nicola Granillo playing Pablo de Sarasate’s Introduction and Tarantella for Violin and Strings.
Mid audience the sound was crisp and clear, just about as good as it gets.
The Players : Harpsichord: Paolo Cognolato, Viola: Sonia Amadio, Cellist: Davide Amadio, Double Bass: Angelo Liziero, Violins: Nicola Granillo, Giacobbe Stevanato, Paolo Ciociola, Pietro Talamini, Stefano Biguzzi.
For the live recording Valentine used a Decca Tree: Left, Centre, Right Neumann valve M50s with U47 used discreetly as spots, mastering directly in digital to a Nagra IV set to 24/192.
The sound in St Johns was very clear and the small forces made it easy to hear every musician individually and en ensemble. Small lapses in absolute virtuosity were balanced by an infectious, at times almost demonic enthusiasm, and for each piece solo parts were taken by different players revealing their characters and the particular quality of their instruments. The second half comprised more Vivaldi, the Symphony for Strings and Harpsichord and the Concerto for Two violins, Strings and Harpsichord a short symphony a cello concerto.
While it would be unfair to single out a player, cellist Davide Amadio performed so spectacularly with his version of the Marais Folia variations that he brought the house to its feet wildly clapping and cheering. A similar response was evoked for violinist Nicola Granillo playing Pablo de Sarasate’s Introduction and Tarantella for Violin and Strings.
Mid audience the sound was crisp and clear, just about as good as it gets.
The Players : Harpsichord: Paolo Cognolato, Viola: Sonia Amadio, Cellist: Davide Amadio, Double Bass: Angelo Liziero, Violins: Nicola Granillo, Giacobbe Stevanato, Paolo Ciociola, Pietro Talamini, Stefano Biguzzi.
For the live recording Valentine used a Decca Tree: Left, Centre, Right Neumann valve M50s with U47 used discreetly as spots, mastering directly in digital to a Nagra IV set to 24/192.
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