Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
The Four Seasons
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
Sonata in G minor Op.5 No.12
All arrangements by Linus Roth and Petrit Çeku
Linus Roth (violin), Petrit Çeku (guitar)
rec. 2024, Library Hall, Ochsenhausen, Germany
Evil Penguin EPRC0065 [52]
With some 100 commercial recordings currently available, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons remains one of the most popular compositions of Western Art Music. It continues to absorb changes in interpretive and execution fashion, including what seem to be ever-increasing tempi. It has inspired musicians and composers such as Max Richter who wrote his modern version of the work entitled Vivaldi Recomposed. Jazz musician Eddie Daniels was inspired to add his version which he named The Five Seasons. This is not a unique situation. The revered works of Johann Sebastian Bach have also attracted similar attention over many decades, and inspired ongoing initiatives.
Many of the transcription/arrangements for the guitar in the 19th and 20th centuries were based on perceived lack of quality repertory. By the late 20th century, the guitar was relatively repertory-independent, and such initiatives were viewed mainly as artistic endeavour, rather than mandatory.
A recording of the Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, Op 61 for guitar and orchestra by Kazuhito Yamashita was released in 1982. Yamashita also recorded Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition as a solo guitar arrangement in 1981. Both required inimitable feats of amazing technical facility. The quest to exploit the full technical potential of the guitar continued, with currents feats such as a solo guitar arrangement by Jorge Caballero of the first movement of Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Symphony
Those who may have heard the reduced score for piano and guitar of the Concierto de Aranjuez will have experienced a new dimension of enjoyment. This is not a question of better or worse, but of meritorious difference. The case for analogue versus digital will be long argued; again, it is better equated in terms of difference rather than absolute superiority. The present disc very much fits this pattern of perception.
The arrangement presented here is of The Four Seasons scored for violin and guitar. Heretical, some may proclaim, but a thorough audition will prove any such assessment premature. This initiative has been undertaken skillfully, and with a high level of musicianship. Both musicians are of the highest calibre, and provide a revelatory performance of the music in this iteration. The magnificent tone extracted from the 1703 Stradivarius ‘Dancla’ violin is one of the best to be heard on recordings.
While the guitar cannot compare in sustain, we observe its own virtues, including a beguiling sonority and bracing pizzicato and rasqueado. The performance is so admirable that a neophyte could easily be convinced that this is the original format in which Vivaldi composed the music.
Linus Roth and Petrit Çeku are both internationally held in such elevated esteem that the liner notes are devoid of biographical intelligence. What is presented is their mutual respect for each other, a key contributor to the overall initiative for arranging, performing and recording this music. They have expressed a wish that other violinists and guitarists perform their version of the work. To that end, the arrangement, scored for violin and guitar, is available on their website.
The superior sonic quality of this recording contributes an added dimension of enjoyment. The sound of Çeku’s Ross Gütmeier guitar benefits considerably from this attribute.
Zane Turner
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