Review | Venetian Musical Venturing

Who were those masked music-lovers, lurking about The Granada Theatre last week, throwing back glasses of pre-concert prosecco in the upstairs lounge and then speckling the audience in the house? No, these were not stragglers from Halloween regalia, hankering to coax a bit more mileage out of their tony costumes, but were abiding by the suggested dress code of masks and cloaks. The intended goal was a suitably Baroque atmosphere befitting the appearance of Philharmonia Baroque’s concert, part of CAMA’s “International Series.”

Audience attire aside, a powerful ambience of 18th-century Baroque culture was duly delivered from the stage, with mandolinist Avi Avital at the helm and in the conceptual driver’s seat. This much-celebrated ensemble in the specialized world of period instrument orchestral sounds, which has appeared in town before during the 35-year tenure of Nicholas McGegan, made a strong case for the accessible and rugged appeal of period instrument/early music nerdishness. In some way, the leaner orchestral ranks and drier tones of period instruments can give early music a visceral energy — maybe even a veritable rock ‘n’ roll–ish charm — compared to the lushes of modern orchestra music.

Crowd appeal was built in, of course, by the evergreen popularity (some might say over-green popularity) of the main subject of the evening, the now 300-year-old opus of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, that stubborn staple of classical radio and the doctor’s office/fine dining playlist domain. Calling upon Four Seasons as a main dish of a concert program could broach dangerous, dumbing-down territory, but what made this program special was the front-and-center protagonist Avital’s expressive prowess on mandolin, versus the customary violin soloist role.

Adding to the intrigue was a clever programming gameplan of inter-stitching the “season” movement with vintage gondola songs from Vivaldi’s day and Venetian home base. Many of these archival songs were adapted or stolen from opera sources, and their popularity prevailed even as Italian opera in Venice fell on hard times, before its 19th-century heyday.

We’ve grown accustomed to Avital’s avidity by now, this being his fourth appearance as a soloist on the local classical scene under CAMA’s aegis. His dual recital last season, with wondrous Chinese accordionist Hanzhi Wang, held forth with its own very different allure, and on his Vivaldi arrangements, Avital’s command of the material and our attentions was once again impressive.

Taking on the gondola songs, with moxie aplenty, was the masterful soprano Esteli Gomez. She may be well-known for embracing things contemporary as part of Silk Road Ensemble and the innovative vocal group Roomful of Teeth, but her grasp of early music vernacular and stylization was persuasive and captivating. We could sense the gondolier bravado and swagger, and the romantic — and romanticized — sense of slicing through canal byways.

All in all, the evening dubbed Venetian Splendor: Vivaldi, Venice and the Four Seasons proved to be a winning concept and beautifully manifested reality at the Granada. Avital et al melded the ultra-familiar centerpiece, at 300, with the relatively obscure, folky songs of the day and the watery place. Most all in attendance, with or without masks, basked happily in the results.