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Chatham Baroque brings Vivaldi to Upper St. Clair

By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 6 min read
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Even if your familiarity with classical music is kind of sketchy, Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” series of concertos should ring a bell.

“These have stood the test of time and have become a household name, really,” viola player Kristen Linfante said. “They’re so recognizable, which is great, and it’s also challenging when performing them, because you really want to make something special of them and give people the opportunity to hear them in a new way.

The Mt. Lebanon resident is one of five musicians who will perform with Chatham Baroque as the Pittsburgh ensemble opens its 29th season with a performance of “Four Seasons” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Upper St. Clair.

Chatham Baroque’s Pittsburgh Concert Series

Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” – 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Upper St. Clair; 8 p.m. Sept. 22 at Synod Hall, Oakland; 2:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at Campbell Memorial Chapel, Chatham University

The Art of the Trio – 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Upper St. Clair; 8 p.m. Nov. 10 at East Liberty Presbyterian Church Chapel; 2:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Campbell Memorial Chapel, Chatham University

Alegría: Christmas Music from Spain and the New World – 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14 at St. Nicholas Church, Millvale; 8 p.m. Dec. 15 at Synod Hall, Oakland; 2:30 p.m. Dec. 16 at Campbell Memorial Chapel, Chatham University

Cupid’s Harp – 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Upper St. Clair; 8 p.m. Feb. 16 at Synod Hall, Oakland; 2:30 p.m. Feb. 17 at Campbell Memorial Chapel, Chatham University

From Battles to Ballets – 7:30 p.m. April 5 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Upper St. Clair; 8 p.m. April 6 at Synod Hall, Oakland; 2:30 p.m. April 7 at Campbell Memorial Chapel, Chatham University

Although Vivaldi published the concertos in 1725, in the midst of Western classical music’s Baroque era, this marks their first rendition by Chatham Baroque. Andrew Fouts, one of the artistic directors, attributed the long time coming to the period instruments they play as the group’s core trio.

His is Baroque violin, which has neither a shoulder rest nor chin rest and has a lower string tension than its contemporary version. Founding member Patricia Halverson’s is viola da gamba – “viol for the leg” in Italian, played upright and between the knees – and Scott Pauley primarily plays the theorbo, a long-necked lute.

“That really is so perfect for a whole lot of repertoire that is a little bit earlier, more 17th century. It’s just kind of where the organization’s focus always has been,” Fouts explained. “Also, organizations that regularly present the ‘Four Seasons’ tend to have more people who are in-house, who play with the ensemble all the time.”

Along with Linfante, complementing the trio for “Four Seasons” are Cynthia Black and Alice Culin-Ellison on violins, J. Tracy Mortimore on double bass and Justin Wallace, harpsichord. The concerts feature recitations of sonnets that Vivaldi composed to provide context for his evocations of the sounds of spring, summer, fall and winter.

“It was almost as if he was worried there might be some misunderstanding, or that her perhaps wasn’t making the depictions in the program clear enough through the music. So he added these sonnets,” Linfante said. “They really give a clear picture, a picture that I’ve had in my mind since I was a child, hearing these pieces and imagining what Vivaldi was thinking about when he wrote them.”

Certain sections, for example, portray the likes of singing birds, buzzing flies, a hunting party and a summer storm.

“The big viola moment is the slow movement of the Spring concerto, where the viola is the voice of the barking dog,” Linfante said. “The shepherd is in the field and he’s with his dog, and the dog has this repetitive barking motif that goes throughout the entire movement. That’s the viola line.”

Other sections are dynamically charged.

“I’ve been joking that I’m looking forward to ‘shredding’ with my friends,” Fouts said. “Vivaldi in writing concertos was looking to really energize probably his students, first and foremost, but also the listeners and get them riled up.”

Listeners have been enjoying Chatham Baroque concerts at Westminster Presbyterian Church since 2012, and three more are scheduled for the current season, including Fouts, Halverson and Pauley performing “The Art of the Trio” on Nov. 9.

In another occasion for firsts, they plan to play pieces they haven’t tackled before by composers including Dieterich Buxtehude, whose works inspired the much-better-known Johann Sebastian Bach; Philipp Heinrich Erlebach, choirmaster to the court of the German principality of Thuringia; and Jean-Féry Rebel, who served as court composer to France’s Louis XIV.

Also connected to the Sun King was Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, who performed on harpsichord at a young age for Louis and whose “Céphale et Procris” was the first female-composed opera to be produced in France.

“We always like to have the representation that, historically, is still lacking,” Fouts said.

He and his associates look forward to returning to the South Hills.

“We enjoy it particularly because people have been so responsive and enthusiastic, and we’ve see our audience grow,” he said. “That’s so rewarding.”

Linfante, who is executive director of CPihamber Music Pittsburgh, complimented Chatham Baroque’s efforts to perform in geographically diverse venues.

“I think it’s great for any arts organization to really be out in the greater community of Pittsburgh, not just in the concert halls within the city,” she said. “Back in Baroque times, that’s where music was played. Bach was playing music in coffee shops and bars in the community, and it was very much a part of everyday life for people.”

For more information about Chatham Baroque, visit rbsp.org.

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