“Vivaldi Wizard Marcon” (Place de l’Opera)
On 2.2. and 4.2. Vivaldi’s “Il Giustino” in the Martinskirche Basel and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam under the direction of Andrea Marcon was celebrated by the audience with standing ovations! Even you can convince yourself with the radio live recording from Amsterdam of an outstanding cast of soloists as well as La Cetra’s passion and expertise for Vivaldi’s music.
Here you will find selected reviews of the performances:
(…) An ambitious undertaking, then, which La Cetra mastered in its usual confident and passionate manner. The orchestra convinced with sophisticated interplay and partly creative interludes: for example, shortly before the intermission with a deceptively real imitation of birdsong – whether Mozart was inspired by Vivaldi for the “Magic Flute”? – or a great zither solo, played by Franziska Fleischanderl on an original instrument from Vivaldi’s time. The singers shone with clear, nuanced and sometimes highly virtuosic performances. Sabadus was particularly impressive in the role of Anastasios. (…)
Lukas Nussbaumer, Basler Zeitung, February 3, 2023 (complete source)
The La Cetra Baroque Orchestra Basel succeeds time and again in thrilling audiences with extraordinary concerts. A very great success was the concert performance of the opera “Il Giustino” by Antonio Vivaldi in the Martinskirche Basel. Here it was shown once again what Andrea Marcon can achieve with his tireless commitment to music.
Marco Stücklin, opernmagazin.de, February 5, 2023 (complete source)
(…) Marcon shaped the good three hours – around his 60th birthday – with ever wiser instinct and most experienced skill for effects and affects, as he brought the goings-on of the lovers and haters closer with the empathetic and immanently obvious stylistic devices of rubati and ritardandi, dazzlingly contrasting dynamics and coherently nimble tempi, as well as with the exploitation of the long conductor’s walk in the Concertgebouw. It was exquisitely realized by his La Cetra Baroque Orchestra Basel, with concertmaster Eva Saladin leading fine, sparkling high and middle strings, perfectly intoned in terms of tonal unity, and Alex Jellici leading low, crisp, texture-lending strings as reliable draws, Screws and springs of the brass-bound chariot as well as the further cast base of the continuo with harpsichordist Andrea Buccarella (now and then doubled by Marcon) and Daniele Caminiti on the theorbo as wheel and chassis of this driving combat undercarriage. In addition, the woods from Georg Fritz’ and Olga Marulanda’s oboes and recorders and Carles Cristóbal’s wonderful bassoon fulfilled their tasks equally masterfully. (…)
Jens Klier, Bachtrack.com from February 5, 2023 (complete source)
