The current catalog, to put it mildly, is not short of versions of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, from period and modern instruments in its original form, to a jazz influenced version from Jacques Loussier, and to Max Richter’s “recomposed” version, if you like this sort of thing. So does a 13 year old prodigy (who also dares to conduct an accompanying ensemble) has anything new to offer?
Christian Li, winner of the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists, is a very confident musician indeed. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, in a slimmed-down size, use modern instruments, which together with Li’s approach bring a real vitality to the work — full of youthful freshness, vigor, energy and a programmatic narrative; The bird song is strongly conveyed in Spring, the intense heat and storms in Summer, the rhythmic drive of the dance in Autumn and the biting cold of winter.
Li has clearly done his research and follows the markings Vivaldi has put in the score. The Spring Concerto sets the standard of everything that follows. Li’s tone is bright, rounded, with a silvery quality. Not afraid of using vibrato to color his sound, he does so appropriately, notably in the Summer concerto. There is a bounding technical assurance and flawless intonation which radiates throughout. The tempi choices of all his outer movements push Vivaldi’s markings not quite to their limits, but are certainly on the quick side, while the central movements are slower, but very rhythmically driven. There are, however, occasions when the tempi varies from that written in the score, as in the opening of Winter. The dynamics in Summer are generally well executed with much detail and expression, but are overly fussy.
Related Classical Music Reviews
- Review: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons – Leila Schayegh, Violin
- Review: Vivaldi, Piazzolla – Four Seasons – Ariella Steinbacher
- Review: “Baroque” – Nicola Benedetti, Violin
The continuo Li has at his disposal consists of a harpsichord and lute. This combination can often feel quite prominent but it adds some distinctive period features to an otherwise modern string sound and pitch. Some repeated use of trills on the harpsichord becomes a little too repetitive and distracts from the simple beauty of Vivaldi’s harmony.
The playing from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is commendable and they give Li everything he commands. The recording is excellent overall, with much space around the orchestra, yet the engineering and balancing is rather cinematic, with quite an emphasis on the bass.
A sequence of four later period pieces with piano concludes the album, including Massenet’s famous “Méditation” and Kreisler’s “Tambourin Chinois”. Though well-played, these are rather disjointed stylistically from the preceding Vivaldi, and I felt that other baroque items would have sat more comfortably.
Vivaldi – The Four Seasons
Li – Fisherman’s Harvest Song
Kreisler – Tambourin Chinois op. 3
Massenet – Thaïs: Méditation (Arr. for Violin and Piano)
Thaïs: Méditation (Arr. for Violin and Piano)
Bazzini – Scherzo Fantastique op. 25 “La Ronde de lutins” (Version for Violin and Piano)
Christian Li – Violin
Timothy Young – Piano
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Decca Classics, CD 4851824
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