Vivaldi showcase is engagingly vibrant

VIVALDI BY CANDLELIGHT, Cathedral Church of St. Mark, Monday and Tuesday.

Musically speaking, December wouldn't be the same without the annual Vivaldi by Candlelight concert. Now in its 21st year, the concert is a benefit for the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy (formerly the International Visitors Utah Council), whose mission is to bridge cultural differences on an international scope.

This year's concert was once again under the baton of Utah Symphony violinist Barbara Scowcroft, who has been the musical director for the Vivaldi by Candlelight concerts for most of its two-decade existence.

These concerts have become a showcase for Scowcroft's colleagues at the symphony, and this year was no exception. The evening's soloists and the majority of the 13-member string orchestra were drawn primarily from the ranks of the Utah Symphony.

In addition to being an exceptional violinist, Scowcroft is also a notable conductor. She succeeds in bringing out the best in the soloists and the orchestra and infuses her interpretations with enthusiasm and a liveliness that captures the quintessential spirit of baroque music.

At Monday's performance, Scowcroft and the players showed the sold-out audience in the Cathedral Church of St. Mark what baroque music is all about. They gave an engagingly vibrant performance of works by Vivaldi and J.S. Bach that was refreshingly full of life and imbued with a sense of spontaneity.

The crowning point of the evening was a wondrous performance of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major. The Utah Symphony's concertmaster, Ralph Matson, the orchestra's principal flute, Erich Graf, and harpsichordist Marjorie Janove were the soloists. The principals, as well as the orchestra, exhibited the remarkable ensemble playing that was characteristic for the entire evening. The playing was cohesive and seamless, with large, sweeping gestures that never once shattered the intimacy of the music.

Janove gave a stellar performance of her demanding part, which includes lengthy solos in the outer movements, especially in the opening Allegro. Matson and Graf were no less impressive with their expressive playing.

Matson and Leonard Braus, one of the symphony's two associate concertmasters, opened the evening with a dynamic performance of Vivaldi's Concerto in A minor for Two Violins.

Graf gave a radiant interpretation of Vivaldi's Concerto for Flute in C minor. His playing captured the warmth and earnestness of the music beautifully.

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E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com