ABS Throws a Party with Antonio Vivaldi

Visual design for the ABS program book page for last night’s performance (from the American Bach Soloists Web page)

Last night American Bach Soloists (ABS) shifted to yet another venue, this time occupying the Green Room in the War Memorial Veterans Building. This was more of a social setting when compared with the first two concerts of the Summer Bach Festival, but the Green Room is such a massive space that socializing seemed to be limited to already-known friends and family. The only music to be performed was the well-known “Four Seasons” set of concertos by Antonio Vivaldi, and the social setting seemed to be organized around a bar serving four specialty cocktails, one for each of the seasons.

During the regular season I often walk by the Veterans Building on my way back from either the Opera House or Davies Symphony Hall. Every now and then, I hear raucous roars coming from the second floor. Last night I found myself right in the middle of those roars. The good news, however, was that, when the music began, everyone seemed focused on the performers.

The Vivaldi concertos were given one-to-a-part performances; but, even from my own relatively distant seating, there were no problems with audibility. Each concerto featured a solo performance by a different ABS violinist. In order of appearance these were as follows:

1. Spring: Tomà Iliev
2. Summer: Tatiana Chulochnikova
3. Autumn: Jacob Ashworth
4. Winter: YuEun Gemma Kim

Each of these soloists provided introductory remarks about the concerto to be played, often endowing each concerto with an engagingly witty context.

The setting may have been at odds with attentive listening; but each of last night’s soloists knew how to command attention, reminding even the most energetic party-goers that, at the end of the day, things are still “all about the music.”