France Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival [2]: Génération @ Aix – Carte Blanche à Renaud Capuçon: Members of Génération @ Aix, Renaud Capuçon (violin / director). Grand Théâtre de Provence, Aix-en-Provence, 16.4.2023. (CC)
Bach – Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G, BWV 1048 (1721); Concerto for Two Keyboards in C, BWV 1060 (1730s?)
Sollima – Violoncelles vibrez for 2 cellos and orchestra (model for six cellos, 1993)
Vivaldi – Concerto for Four Violins, RV 549 / Op.3/1 (1711); Concerto for Two Violin and Strings in A minor, RV 522 (1711); Concerto for Four Violins and strings, RV 580 (1711)
Celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Festival de Pâques at Aix-en-Provence, this was a outstanding acknowledgement of the forest of expertise that’s the Génération @ Aix scheme, which has provided alternatives to quite a few younger artists since 2013. The Festival describes the scheme in these phrases: ‘Each year, the Génération @ Aix concert is a highlight for festivalgoers as it showcases promising young musicians, who are destined for greatness, such as the cellists Edgar Moreau and Bruno Philippe or the viola player Adrien La Marca, all of whom got their start here. Génération @ Aix aims to bring exceptional young talent together with internationally established musicians.’
And so, it was on the Grand Théâtre de Provence in a closing occasion led by Renaud Capuçon. Some names within the line-up are already acquainted: Alexandra Conunova , for instance, performed in Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in Paris (the place she was additionally joined by one other of the members, pianist David Kadouch) and at London’s Barbican (the place the pianist was Elisabeth Brauss).
This programme of Baroque music, with an insert of a bit by Giovanni Sollima (born 1962) was good fare for 5pm on a gloriously sunny Sunday afternoon. Familiar are to start out, although with the collective concerto that’s Bach’s Third Brandenburg Concerto, the shortest of the six. Wonderful to hearken to Capuçon within the solo passages after all, and to listen to how effectively he interacted along with his colleagues; most spectacular, although, was the general stability and sound, and the way the ensemble performed along with an virtually telepathic sense. As Bach splits the ensemble into duos in addition to solos, it turned apparent that right here have been 9 string gamers, every of impeccable style and magnificence, offering the very essence of chamber music. The ‘slow movement’ was left on the Phrygian cadence Bach provides; the finale was positively bursting with invention, themes surfacing unstoppably. Bach’s harmonic plan was honoured to the letter, so the ratcheting up of stress balanced completely with plateaux that appeared as if suspended, so mild was their supply. An excellent begin.
The shift to Giovanni Sollima’s 1993 piece, Violoncelles vibrez! was stark certainly. A single repeated be aware appears charged with energy and it’s instantly apparent we’re in a unique world. Two solo cellos – once more equally matched, right here Edgar Moreau and Julia Hagen– together with a ’tutti’ of six different cellos. The two soloists continuously take the identical or equal gesture and echo one another, in order that equivalence is significant to the success of the efficiency. Listening to another out there performances, this Aix account appeared a bit blunted; one got here away with the impression of a bit that was ’good’ versus vibrant, and the return of the opening in direction of the tip, after all of the fervid exercise, misplaced a few of its emotional heft. All credit score to the soloists, however the total impression was of music dwarfed in stature by the music round it.
The Bach Concerto for 2 keyboards was performed on dealing with full Steinway live performance grands by Guillaume Bellom and David Kadouch. Strings have been 5:4:4:3:1, with double bass Lorraine Campet enthusiastically offering the firmest of foundations. If the general sound from the strings was a bit soupy within the first motion, Bellom it was who launched the central Adagio with a silken legato line; as that line blossomed via interplay between the pianos, the music appeared to open out miraculously. The motion closed with the sound of piano haloed by strings; how sturdy the distinction to the resolute onward staccato movement of the finale (Kadouch presumably a contact extra assertive than Bellom in his supply). The beautiful, wealthy closing chord from the pianists sealed the deal; the strings within the outer actions performed with a scrumptious edge to the assault, good for this piece. A life-enhancing efficiency, and ideal to steer us into the interval.
Fast-forward half-an-hour and a trio of Vivaldi items awaited. Firstly, the Concerto in D, RV 549 (given within the programme as ’Concerto grosso’), delicate in its opening however the Allegro was nonetheless filled with incident (the usage of a drone over which violins ‘riff’ is especially noteworthy). Fine work from all 4 violin soloists: Cosima Soulez Larivière, Emmanuel Coppey, Bilal Alnemr and Raphaëlle Moreau. Nice programming too, as this balanced properly with the concluding Concerto for Four Violins, RV 580.
For the intervening Double Concerto in A minor, RV 522, it was Conunova and Eva Zavaro who relished the considerably darkish energy of the primary motion. Conunova ’s violin sang fantastically on the opening of the central Larghetto e spiritoso, joined quickly by intertwining traces from Zavaro; moments of good peace, underscored by a easy, decrease string line from the ripieno, creating totally fragile music. Pianissimos held the packed corridor to silence; the finale might hardly have been extra totally different, suffused with adrenalin. It is a wild journey that calls for a lot of the soloists; Zavaro’s lengthy traces with Conunova ’s energetic tremolos a spotlight.
Finally, the well-known Concerto for Four Violins, RV 580: Capuçon, Mohamed Hiber, Manon Galy and Raphaëlle Moreau (at instances the imitation extends to a solo cello. right here the superb Yan Levionnois). Hiber specifically confirmed the right stability of impeccable approach with Vivaldian type. The opening tutti chords of the central Largo made fairly a mark within the venue itself (much less so within the arte.television relay); and the violin’s imitations of the following upward phrase exuded each energy and integrity. This is a captivating motion: a passage of pure concord over repeated chords which got here throughout as proto-Minimalist, whereas the finale introduced not solely 4 equal soloists however 4 particular person however complementary personalities inside that. A really terrific efficiency.
Small surprise the viewers went nuts after it. The encore was Peter Heidrich’s Variations on ‘Happy Birthday’, with variations that provided a homage to Haydn, a homage to Beethoven, a variation within the Hungarian type, a variation referencing movie music, one within the type of Wagner. It is a superb, compositionally virtuoso piece, playful (a Haydn Minuetto and Trio, a Strauss household waltz), however totally able to a minore variation and that Wagner (Siegfried Idyll) plus a fast journey to South America (with Kadouch and Bellom including a pleasant piano four-hands contact). A fast cadenza for Capuçon, together with a Rückblick to the 1990’s for the (in)well-known Nokia ringtone on violin, led to that hongroise that set the viewers all a-clap till the inevitable headlong accelerando in direction of the ultimate chords.
What a solution to rejoice (the encore was adopted by explosions of gold confetti and the viewers was invited totally free champagne afterwards).
The live performance is on the time of writing out there totally free viewing at arte.television at this hyperlink.
The 2023 Festival de Pâques is devoted to the reminiscence of pianist Nicholas Angelich (1970-2022).
Colin Clarke
Full listing of performers: Renaud Capuçon, Alexandra Conunova, Bilal Alnemr, Emmanuel Coppey, Mohamed Hiber, Manon Galy, Raphaëlle Moreau, Cosima Soulez Larivière, Eva Zavaro (violins); Léa Hennino, Adrien La Marca, Manuel Vioque-Judde, Paul Zientara (violas); Julia Hagen, Olivia Gay, Florian Pons (changing an indisposed Anastasia Kobekina), Yan Levionnois, Edgar Moreau, Aurélien Pascal, Bruno Philippe, Maxime Quennesson (cellos); Lorraine Campet (double bass); Céline Frisch (harpsichord); Guillaime Bellom, David Kadouch, (pianos).