Last Night's Concert - from last year
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A concert from last year that I commented on here: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/the_new_coffee_room/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=117221&p=1486850&hilit=rachlin#p1486850
It's available on the CSO site: https://csosoundsandstories.org/julian-rachlin-and-the-four-seasons/
Click on the second audio file to just listen to the music without commentary.
My comments at the time:
First of all, there were lots of trills that I had not heard in multiple recordings. He made use of the great baroque tradition of embellishing notes to highlight them when the score demanded, especially in the opening bars of “Primavera.” He also made use of Vivaldi’s frequent repeating a phrase to emphasize the first iteration, and then, almost sotto-voce, repeating it. It gave great drama to the work that gave it a sense that was more romantic than one would have expected from one of the great Baroque masterpieces.
A couple of random observations. I was thrilled to see how the soloist interacted with the orchestra, particularly in the sections where there were only a few members of the ensemble playing. One wonderful example was in “Primavera” again, when it was only Rachlin, and the first chairs of the first, second violins, the first chair of violas and cello all having a conversation. It was remarkable. Another was in the fourth movement of “Autumn,” when Rachlin made his Strad sound like a common fiddle (you can hear that at about 32:00), giving a wonderful dance-like sense to the rocking rhythms.
As I said, the music is so familiar, yet, he managed to bring a freshness and liveliness to it that I didn’t expect. Though his tempi were, in my opinion, a bit rushed at times, that decision seemed to fit with his overall approach to the music. His fluid approach to the tempi also contributed to that more “romantic” interpretation. I think any serious Baroque lover would have pulled out his hair, but I enjoyed it.
