Cathie Apple: Press

Baroque Soloists boldly take the Vivaldi challenge

“For Vivaldi, time has been a fickle mistress. At the end of the Baroque era, his music was seen as passé. From the classical era to the romantic, his music was conscripted to virtual oblivion. In the 20th century, it was all about discovery. Today, his music from the “Four Seasons” is most recognizable and overexposed work from the Baroque period.
So, the great challenge these days is how to make Vivaldi’s music sound unexpected and alive.
The Sacramento Baroque Soloists on Saturday evening took on that challenge at St. Paul’s Church in Sacramento. These early-music specialists performed an all-Vivaldi concert to a sold-out house.
The highlight was Vivaldi’s Concerto in G minor, “La Notte,” with flutist Cathie Apple as guest soloist. “La Notte” is a curious Vivaldi work; it’s dark and painterly in an almost modern way. And Apple, who performed this concerto on the tricky traverso flute, proved an incisive early-music performer. Apple has earned much street cred from her performances of new music, and on “La Notte,” she’s clearly added the baroque to her resume.
From the opening flute notes of the Largo that seem to condense out of a night fog, Apple’s tone was accurate and robust, yet never cloying. The best ensemble playing of the evening was performed here too. All the ornaments were delivered with tonal clarity, and each instrument came through as well-defined in the three-movement work.