Locatelli Il Virtuoso, il Poeta – Concerto Grosso in C minor; Violin Concerto in A major; Concerto Grosso in E flat major; Violin Concerto in C minor etc Isabelle Faust (violin); Il Giardino Armonico/Giovanni Antonini Harmonia Mundi HMM902398 68:22 mins
The dizzy, virtuosic world of the Italian Baroque is not accustomed territory for Isabelle Faust, who is better known for her explorations of the grounded traditions of Bach, Mozart and their successors. But as the album’s title suggests, Faust seeks to draw attention to Pietro Locatelli’s gifts as a ‘poet’ of the violin as well as his as fame as a virtuoso performer.
The central work is the astonishing Concerto Grosso in E flat, Op. 7 No. 6, titled ‘Ariadne’s Lament’, which combines a reflective violin solo part with chamber orchestral responses to produce a semi-programmatic, opera-style scenario in which the Cretan princess laments her abandonment on Naxos by Theseus. The Concerto Grosso, Op. 1 No. 11, is more straightforwardly cast in rhythmic dance movements, while the two violin concertos show the composer’s experimentation with stylistic innovations and quirky changes of mood.
Faust brilliantly masters the high-wire acrobatics of Locatelli’s writing, which includes almost ear-piercingly high playing positions, extreme left-hand extensions, double stops and all manner of awkward bow strokes. Yet her playing somehow lacks the natural swagger and exuberance of the so-called ‘Devil’s violinist’. Il Giardino Armonico, under Giovanni Antonini’s direction, play with energetic fizz and a keen sense of Locatelli’s place in the development of Italian Baroque music. This is most evident in their rustic rendition of the Pastorale from his F minor Op. 1 No. 8 Concerto Grosso – a nod to Corelli’s ‘Christmas Concerto’ of 30 years earlier. The recorded sound is clear and well balanced.
John-Pierre Joyce