Evelyn Glennie performs a Vivaldi Concerto on Vibraphone
(Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg conducted by Bramwell Tovey)
Artsworld Channel 267 Sky TV, U.K:
By chance yesterday afternoon I stumbled across Evelyn Glennie, the Scottish virtuoso percussionist playing a Vivaldi concerto on the vibraphone. Her performance was outstanding. She demonstrated amazing dexterity and breathtaking speed with the vibraphone mallets and her impeccable rhythm and amazing feel for dynamics made for a riveting performance. I for one shall be buying the CD or the DVD if it is available. The concerto was originally Vivaldi's Concerto in C for piccolo RV443.
What of course is incredible is that Evelyn Glennie became deaf as a teenager. On a previous ITV South Bank Show programme introduced by Melvyn Bragg televised a few years ago, Evelyn Glennie explained how she could
‘feel the different frequencies in various parts of her body’.
We think of the Vibraphone as primarily a jazz instrument. To hear it playing the Italian style Baroque music of Vivaldi is unusual especially with the sustain the instrument is capable of. However it brought a new dimension to Vivaldi’s beautiful music.
Recommended listening.
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