McDuffie and the Seasons

Last night, I attended a concert with the Venice Baroque Orchestra and soloist Robert McDuffie on violin. They performed Vivaldi’s Four Seasons along with Philip Glass’ second violin concerto, The American Seasons. I didn’t like McDuffie’s style of violin playing for Vivaldi. The VBO didn’t use one ounce of vibrato, and McDuffie couldn’t resist using it on any note longer than an 8th. There were some good moments, but I also felt like McDuffie was just rushing through the music. He also landed on some notes that were clearly out of tune. Ouch. McDuffie vibrated for Vivaldi. And VBO vibrated for Glass. Doesn’t seem fair. The performance lacked sincerity. The VBO then reinvented itself after the intermission and performed (sans harpsichord and sans lute and lutenist) the modern work. I mean, how many times do I get to hear favorite composers Vivaldi and Glass at the same venue? This concerto had issues at times with intonation from the celli/bass department (all 4 of them) but otherwise was a stronger success than the Vivaldi. McDuffie was in his element here, and the concerto was a good piece by Glass. The NYTimes has a better account than mine, but in all, it was an enjoyable evening.