Stefan Temmingh, Capricornus Consort Basel - Antonio Vivaldi: The Concertos for Recorder; J.S. Bach: Preludes (2017)

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Stefan Temmingh, Capricornus Consort Basel - Antonio Vivaldi: The Concertos for Recorder; J.S. Bach: Preludes (2017)

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Stefan Temmingh, Capricornus Consort Basel - Antonio Vivaldi: The Concertos for Recorder; J.S. Bach: Preludes (2017)

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Given that any new recording of Vivaldi’s six recorder concertos inevitably prompts the question ‘Why?’, this new offering from the Dutch recorder player Stefan Temmingh stands out for meeting this question square-on in his booklet notes. Reminding us of this core repertoire’s peerlessness among the 18th-century recorder repertory, Temmingh asserts it to be ‘simply inconceivable’ for recorder players not to have their own ideas about them, before concluding: ‘It was absolutely self-evident to me that I should record my own interpretations … and a matter of the heart.’ So a confident entrance. Indeed, never before have I heard such a clutch of interpretations which have had me hearing each concerto as if for the first time.

The clever programming helps, because the Vivaldi concertos are each framed by Bach preludes; a device that not only functions as a palette-cleanser but also reminds us of Bach’s admiration of Vivaldi, and indeed of both men’s willingness to mix sacred and secular musical ideas.

Even without such punctuations the Vivaldis would have offered up successive new worlds thanks to the sheer originality of Temmingh’s approach. The cornerstones are the extramusical narratives he’s thought up for each concerto, effectively treating each as a three-act mini-opera in the spirit of The Four Seasons. For instance, he’s read the C minor melancholy of RV441 as sacred thoughts from Vivaldi the priest-turned-composer, its final movement’s strange seven-bar theme even perhaps a reference to the seven sacraments or Seven Deadly Sins. His pastoral imaginings on RV442 follow, its bucolic feel emphasised by a continuo combination of triple harp, lute and the zither-like psaltery.

In fact, the presence of a few more unusual timbres across the six concertos’ continuo sections is one of the recording’s most striking features, because rather than simply choosing from the standard options, Temmingh has considered both what would have been available to Vivaldi and what might fit with the ‘doctrine of affections’. Thus, given that we know there was a psaltery at the Ospedale della Pietà, why not use one? Likewise, the church piety of RV441 demands organ and harp, while the imagined village band of RV312 is ripe for triple harp, theorbo and guitar.

The playing is top-drawer too. Temmingh’s virtuosity is breathtakingly fluid and effortless, and he clearly enters a new world for each of his ‘mini-operas’. The Capricornus Consort, meanwhile, are light-footed in their dance, Vivaldi’s pulsing rhythms never over-articulated even in the temptation of the village-band guitar strums of RV312’s final Allegro.

Equally striking is the ornamentation. Temmingh’s scholarly cues have included the part-book of one of Vivaldi’s orphanage pupils (perhaps copied with Vivaldi at her shoulder?), whose sumptuous ornamentations often occupy a wider range than even the original melodies. This is exactly what’s delivered for RV443’s ornamentally asking-for-it Largo, Domen Marincic’s recently penned, fantastically florid embellishments soaring from Temmingh’s lips for all their worth.

This really is a Vivaldi recorder concerto collection in a class of its own. (Oh, and I also love his florals …)

Review by Charlotte Gardner, Gramophone

This recording brings together Vivaldi’s six extant concertos, two “per Flauto” and four “per Flautino”, marrying them with a selection of Preludes by Bach. This programming offers pleasant contrast and moments of repose in between the often energetic outer movements of the concertos. Stefan Temmingh’s notes on these concertos are extensive, posing and answering all kinds of questions about interpretation. I will neatly sidestep such useful but detailed discussion and just wax lyrical about the music.

Superbly recorded, the detail from the orchestral sound means that all kinds of stunning effects carry us along from start to finish. The rhythmic slapping strings in the third movement of RV 312 are most jazzy, the chime of a psaltery adds charming colour to RV 442, a bassoon adds its weighty foundation to a thrumming theorbo in RV 444, and the nicely rounded continuo of a chest organ and harp gives RV 441 added mellifluousness – there is never a dull moment here.

Comparing the famous RV 443 with Maurice Steger on the Harmonia Mundi label (review) and Stefan Temmingh sounds less as if he is on a desperate breakneck downhill ride despite keeping similar tempi in the outer movements. Both players improvise widely with that lovely central movement, arguably too much when the melody vanishes almost entirely, though Temmingh at least keeps the first statement of the tune fairly straight where Steger starts messing around right from the start.

The Bach Preludes are given contrasting instrumentation, indeed acting as highly effective preludes to each concerto, both in terms of key and instrumental timbre. It is fascinating to place Bach’s wonderful expressiveness in the service of religion against Vivaldi’s earthy Venetian entertainments, and with seamlessly timed entries between pieces there is no chance of the programme becoming in any way fragmentary.

Highlights in such a superb disc are too many to list, but listen to Temmingh’s staccato in the first movement of RV 312 and I defy you not to smile. The repeated chords of the central movement to this concerto are deep and rich, and I’ve already mentioned the groovy slap of the third movement. The psaltery is used to lovely effect in the Prelude in F major BWV 854, setting us up for its use in RV 442, the central movement of which is very moving indeed. I love the pizzicato middle movement of RV 444, though the solo could be a little quieter here to keep the proportions ideal. Basically this is a release that I will be keeping handy for whenever I feel the urge to dance around and rediscover the joys of living on dark and rainy afternoons. It compliments rather than competes with Maurice Steger’s recording which also offers maximum fun, though a wilder approach to performance in general; what I referred to as “remarkable musical hooliganism” in my review. Temmingh is more civilised and his programme concept more thoughtful, but by no means less of a joy to hear.

Review by Dominy Clements, MusicWeb-international.com

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Stefan Temmingh, Capricornus Consort Basel - Antonio Vivaldi: The Concertos for Recorder; J.S. Bach: Preludes (2017)

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Stefan Temmingh, Capricornus Consort Basel - Antonio Vivaldi: The Concertos for Recorder; J.S. Bach: Preludes (2017)

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Stefan Temmingh, Capricornus Consort Basel - Antonio Vivaldi: The Concertos for Recorder; J.S. Bach: Preludes (2017)

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