VIVALDI BY CANDLELIGHT, First Presbyterian Church, Saturday
The Vivaldi by Candlelight concerts celebrate their 25th anniversary this year. For the occasion, music director Gerald Elias chose a program that was wonderfully vibrant and delightfully diverse.
The theme of Saturday's concert, in First Presbyterian Church, was the music of Venetian composers. And while firmly focused on the concert's namesake, Elias took some carefully planned detours that brought the audience to the music of composers who were contemporaries of Vivaldi, as well as a few who preceded him by several generations.
Guest artist for the evening was local soprano Celena Shafer, who first sang a set of four arias by four different composers, before returning and singing a set of three arias by Vivaldi.
As she has proven time and again, Shafer is an incomparable interpreter of baroque music. Her voice has a unique quality that is eminently suited to the music of this era, with its over-the-top emotions and florid vocal writing.
Shafer's singing is infused with lyricism and fluidity as well as dramatic power. She put that to good use in the opening set of arias by Claudio Monteverdi, Francesco Conti, Antonio Lotti and Giovanni Legrenzi as she plumbed the emotional depths of the words and brought them to expression.
The same was true for the three Vivaldi arias. Taken from three very different works (an oratorio, a choral work and an opera), they allowed Shafer to exhibit her interpretive skills to the fullest. She treated the audience to displays of dramatic power, tender lyricism and delightful humor, respectively.
The string orchestra, hand picked by Elias, who conducted the concert, was equally impressive in its playing. Taken mainly from members of the Utah Symphony (with Kimi Kawashima playing harpsichord and organ), they played with delicate expression and finely honed articulation. Elias, who is the symphony's associate concertmaster, elicited textured readings of several orchestral pieces by Vivaldi.
The evening's concertmaster, David Porter, was featured in two works: Albinoni's Adagio in G minor and Vivaldi's Concerto Ripieno in C major, RV 114. In both cases, he played with wonderful expression and feeling and delicately phrased lines.
Also taking part in the concert was a brass ensemble assembled by symphony trombonist Russell McKinney, who also serves as the music director of First Presbyterian. They played four pieces by Giovanni Gabrieli, giving the evening a festive air.
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com