Sacred, secular... and stylish: Accademia Bizantina celebrates Vivaldi

By Mark Pullinger, 10 April 2022

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Reviewed at Guildhall School of Music & Drama: Milton Court Concert Hall, London on 9 April 2022

Vivaldi, Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione: Violin Concerto in E major, Op.8 no. 1, RV 269 "La primavera” (Spring) [Vivaldi]

Vivaldi, Stabat Mater, RV 621

Vivaldi, L'estro armonico: Concerto for 4 violins, cello and strings in B minor, Op.3 no.10, RV 580

Vivaldi, L'estro armonico: Concerto for 2 violins, cello and strings in D minor, Op.3 no. 11, RV 565

Vivaldi, Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione: Violin Concerto in G minor, Op.8 no. 2, RV 315 "L'estate" (Summer)

Vivaldi, Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione: Violin Concerto in F major, Op.8 no. 3, RV 293 "L'autunno” (Autumn)

Vivaldi, Nisi Dominus, RV 608

Vivaldi, L'estro armonico: Concerto for 2 violins, cello and strings in A major, Op.3 no. 5, RV 519

Vivaldi, L'estro armonico: Concerto for 2 violins, cello and strings in A minor, Op.3 no. 8, RV 522

Vivaldi, Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione: Violin Concerto in F minor, Op.8 no. 4, RV 297 "L'inverno" (Winter)

John Holiday, Countertenor

Alessandro Tampieri, Violin

Accademia Bizantina

Ottavio Dantone, Conductor

Ana Liz Ojeda, Violin

Sara Meloni, Violin

Gabriele Pro, Violin

Alessandro Palmeri, Cello

Barrie Kosky's Agrippina is finally crowned at DNO

Eleanor Knight, 13th January

The Australian director's 2019 production of Handel's satirical comedy-thriller arrives in Amsterdam, with a cast led by the fabulous Stéphanie d'Oustrac.

****1

Enescu Festival sheds light on another 18th-century gem

Edward Sava-Segal, 8th September

In the Bucharest performance, the individual vocal contributions were consistently good, with some really standing out.

****1

Giulio Cesare in concert: Lawrence Zazzo and Emőke Baráth came, saw and conquered Vienna

Orsolya Gyárfás, 18th October

An outstanding cast under Ottavio Dantone at the Theater an der Wien was headed by Lawrence Zazzo and Emőke Baráth.

****1

Intimate devotion to a lamenting mother

Olivia Bell, 14th March

Joined by the exquisitely subtle Accademia Bizantina led by Alessandro Tampieri, Scholl brought little-known but no less great devotions to the Virgin Mary to life with impetus and intimacy.

****1

Writing on walls: Handel’s Belshazzar in Oslo

Aksel Tollåli, 7th March

Ottavio Dantone, the Accademia Bizantina and the Norwegian Soloists' Choir gave a strong performance of Handel's oratorio Belshazzar.

****1

Viktoria Mullova and Accademia Bizantina's play Bach concertos in Bristol

Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 17th October

In a rare appearance outside London in the UK, world-renowned Russian violinist Viktoria Mullova, harpsichordist Ottavio Dantone and the Italian ensemble Accademia Bizantina took to the stage at St George’s Bristol to perform four Baroque concertos by J.S. Bach.

***11

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.