I’m not usually a fan of tampering with the classics. They’re classics for a reason, and it rarely ends well in my opinion.
But Pekka Kuusisto’s innovative take on Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons will live long in the memory.
The Finnish conductor – and violinist – involved the audience during regular, but not unwelcome, interludes with that eccentric, dry humour known to those who have some experience of the Finns.
He admitted before the start that although Vivaldi’s name was on the ticket, the evening was about so much more than the Italian Baroque genius.
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Four Seasons remained true enough to the original, with one exception – Ale Carr and his cittern (a guitar-like stringed instrument dating from Vivaldi’s own Renaissance period).
And it definitely added something different yet enriching to Vivaldi’s four violin concerti known and loved by afficionados and laymen alike.
Each piece falls under the category of ‘recognised by people who know nothing about classical music’.
Turns out you can fuse Italian Baroque and Nordic folk
Carr, a Swede, is acknowledged as one of the leading players of plucked string instruments within the Nordic folk tradition.
And speaking of Nordic folk, what made Saturday night’s concert very much ‘Vivaldi with a twist’ was that each concerto was interspersed by a traditional Nordic folk song. It was in these that Carr and his cittern really came to the fore.
The first one, Idas sommarvisa, was a tribute to the recently passed Georg Riedel, the Swedish composer behind the music for Astrid Lindgren’s children’s films (think Pippi Longstocking).
The final Nordic piece was 34-year-old Carr’s own, which he’d written for his young daughter.
I must admit, I wasn’t expecting such a Nordic influence in a Vivaldi concert, but again, it just worked.
Perhaps more than anything it showed that music has no borders.
The first half of the evening saw the orchestra perform The Birds (1928) by the Italian Ottorino Respighi and Birds of Paradise (2008) by Carr’s fellow Swede Andrea Tarrodi. Yes, there was something of an avian theme to the evening’s entertainment.
Aberdeen Music Hall lucky to have Pekka Kuusisto for the night
But really, it was all about the second half.
I’ve done a few of these reviews of classical concerts at the Music Hall, and haven’t seen it as full as it was on Saturday night. There may have been the odd empty seat but it looked packed to me.
Many of them stood to applaud at the denouement, which again, doesn’t always happen.
It’s testament to the timeless, enduring appeal of Vivaldi’s inspiring, uplifting, music 300 years down the line.
But it’s also testament to the brilliance of Pekka Kuusisto in simultaneously repackaging and staying true to the Italian master’s genius.
Together with his very Finnish charisma, which held the evening together and the performers and audience as one, Aberdeen was lucky to have him, if only for one night.
As was the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, who remain a credit to the artistic and cultural landscape in this country.
The evening was sponsored by the Honorary Consulate of Finland. All I can say is well done to all involved. In somewhat insular times, international collaboration still produces some of the best art.
Conversation