I went to the Vivaldi Four Seasons concert last night as part of the First Mondays Concerts at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, and the work absolutely sizzled under violinist Darel Stark, who played from memory and held us on the edge of our seats with breathless tempos and a stunning display of virtuosity and energy. It was definitely one of those WOW! moments when you think it can’t get better than this! What I liked was the way the orchestra played with great inflection, and made huge differences in dynamics, all of which was stylistic as well as exciting.

The orchestra included violinists Darel Stark, Michelle Kim, Yuseon Nam, Maile Reeves, Rachel Saul; violists Mark Butin and Steve Flanter; cellist Mark Votapek, bass John Gallagher, and harpsichordist Sadee Xu. It was a fantastic ensemble!

The evening began as it is for all these First Mondays concerts, with a staggering variety of heavy pupus to munch on in the courtyard, creating a festive atmosphere. The fact that there was a full house requiring that extra chairs be brought in made it all the more splendid.

The program began with Georgine Stark singing the “Laudamus te” from Bach’s Mass in B minor, which transported me back to our 2011 performances of the work. This particular movement is a soprano aria with “a beautifully-ornamented vocal line supported by a complex instrument texture with a violin obbligato.”

Next followed Darel’s own composition, “Vocalise,” which he described as “a reworking of an earlier work for voice and violin. A vocalise (a song without words) lets the performer and listener have a more personalized view of the music without being bound by words. In this new iteration, I take advantage of the additional instruments adding more counterpoint, sonority, and interplay between the different musical lines. My goal was not to have the vocal part as a soloist above the orchestra but to integrate the voice into the string ensemble.” In this work, Darel also exploited Georgine’s wide vocal range, from low to high, which she did with ease.

What also made this performance so memorable was that Darel said it not only was the 300th anniversary of the Vivaldi Four Seasons, but the violin on which he played is also 300 years old! He also used a baroque bow, which is shorter than a modern one, which “allows for more precise articulation and nuanced phrasing, particularly when playing Baroque music, due to its lighter weight, shorter length, and design which naturally emphasizes strong down-bows and lighter up-bows, ideal for the rhythmic patterns of Baroque dance music; making it easier to achieve the characteristic “light and bright” sound of the era,” according to AI.

And dance the music did!

The performance was dedicated to Darel’s mother, who passed away just two months ago. He said that when he was growing up, his mother was his greatest fan. So are we, Darel!