Venice and the Violin Concerto – Le Consort and Théotime Langlois de Swarte @ The BBC Proms

Spearheading a summer of international visitors, Le Consort – headed by charismatic violinist (who first appeared in William Christie’s Les Arts Florissants at the Proms 11 years ago) – made an impressive debut at the Proms in a week that sees – on Wednesday – two more visiting French ensembles.  For those facing a year’s wait for the much-vaunted exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum announced on President Macron’s recent state visit, this goes to show a continuing artistic link across the English Channel. Here’s to the entente cordiale!

Perhaps that’s why Théotime opened the atmospheric programme with an English-born composer, although with an Italian father (and who would build a career at Vienna’s Imperial Court, composing ballets). Nicolas Matteis Junior’s second fantasia for solo violin, made its presence known upstage, spotlit in blue, its early minimalist bariolage (rapid string crossing) a beguiling entry into the world of the concerto as it developed in Venice and then in Germany over 100 years or so. As Théotime’s nimble tracery ended and while he descended to the ensemble beneath, Justin Taylor (co-founder of Le Consort) offered a harpsichord improvisation.

What followed was a seamless investigation as to how the violin concerto came to recognisable form, in Vivaldi’s hands and how that affected Bach. Vivaldi’s early, Corelli-like dance suite of a concerto, with six contrasting movements was followed by two earlier, 17^th-century Italian works – Legrenzi’s Occhi miei si dormire and Uccellini’s Aria sopra La bergamasca, flanking Bach’s transcription of the slow movement of Alessandro Marcello’s Oboe Concerto – violin standing in for both voice in the Legrenzi and oboe in the Bach, while leader Sophie de Bardonnèche joined in Uccellinipizzicato duelling.

Bach’s Air on a G string (though in its original D major key) from Orchestral Suite No 3 led on to the first half finale, taking Le Consort back to its routes, with Vivaldi’s Trio Sonata on that famous tune La folia (‘madness’) with its 20 variations in just ten minutes with cellist Hanna Salzenstein joining harpsichord and two violins.

The second half was given over to just four concertos, bookended by examples from two of Vivaldi’s most famous publications – the sixth of L’estro armónico Op 3 – and the second of Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione Op 8 – better known as Summer from The Four Seasons. Bach was back in an arrangement for violin of one of his harpsichord concertos, and the penultimate work was a Vivaldi concerto for strings (rather than spotlighting a solo instrument). 

Impeccably done, with bags of Gallic panache, Le Consort and Théotime himself, in sleek and slender black with a black mop, wowed a packed Royal Albert Hall – and were called back for two encores, spirited Charles Avison and more reflective John Eccles re-establishing a London link, and even then, the audience wasn’t satisfied. ‘Would you like to hear something again?’ Théotime asked, before adding ‘If so, what?’ I wasn’t surprised that he chose a reprise of a part of Vivaldi’s Summer, whatever the other requests shouted out. Thankfully, despite the weather forecast, it proved for me the only storm of the day, and one for which I didn’t need my umbrella.

Whether or not I have already witnessed my ‘Prom of the Year’ (it will certainly be up there in the final analysis, Le Consort kicked the roster of international visiting ensemble concerts off in fine style – laying down a marker to aim for in the coming weeks.

This prom was televised and will be shown on Friday 25th July 2025 at 8pm on BBC 4.