Violinist Chouchane Siranossian and the Venice Baroque Orchestra, presented by the Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City, performed an exciting concert of instrumental music Friday night February 6, at the Unity Temple on the Plaza.
The orchestra is a small ensemble appropriate for a period-style approach to the music. In addition to the soloist, the ensemble featured six violinists, two violists, a cello, bass and a harpsichord.
Billed as Duello d’Archi a Venezia (Battle of the Bows in Venice), the program featured concertos and a sonata by composers active in Venice in the early 18th century—Antonio Vivaldi, Giuseppe Tartini, Francesco Maria Veracini and Pietro Antonio Locatelli. Venice was one of the major developmental centers of baroque music in general and the Italian concerto in particular. Most concertos followed a three-movement structure with a slow central movement between fast outer movements. The four composers represented on the program were both colleagues and rivals as violinists and as composers.
The program began with the Concerto for Violin, Strings and Basso Continuo in A Major, D 96 by Tartini. It opened with a crisp and striking Allegro by the finely blended ensemble.
Siranossian, featured on all but one of the works on the program, proved from the outset to be a marvelous performer. She alternated between a light and attractive tone for rapid and virtuosic runs and a richer, singing tone for slower passages. This was most evident in the second movement of the Tartini. She elicited a lovely legato melody over the ensemble’s gently pulsing strings, playing with palpable emotion and expression.
The closing movement was dancelike and featured nicely shaped phrases and dynamics. The concerto was impressive but not perfect. At the outset the orchestra displayed an occasional slip in intonation, and the harpsichord was barely audible.
Veracini’s Sonata in D Minor for Violin and Basso Continuo, Op. 2, No. 12 followed. Most of the orchestra left the stage, since this was a chamber work featuring Siranossian along with the cello and harpsichord. With the lighter instrumentation the harpsichord stood out as a full partner. The opening featured chromatically descending lines, and the trio produced an intimate and somber mood. The central movement displayed a great deal of melodic interplay with the instruments exchanging musical phrases very effectively. The finale contained several tempo changes and highly ornamental lines beautifully executed by the violinist and cellist.
The first half of the program ended with Vivaldi’s orchestral potboiler “La Tempesta di Mare” (“The Sea Storm”), with the formal title Concerto for Violin, Strings and Basso Continuo in E-flat Major, RV 253. It was indeed a dark and stormy night. From the exciting opening with its turbulent scales and strong articulations to the incredibly rapid solo passages, this was a compelling reading of the work. The slow central movement gave a moment of respite with its languorous lines, but it was short lived. The finale exhibited some of Siranossian’s finest moments of the evening, virtually bouncing her bow off the strings to create a truly tempestuous effect.
Locatelli’s Concerto for Violin, Strings and Basso Continuo in C Minor, Op. 3, No.2 offered more opportunities for Siranossian to demonstrate technical brilliance, particularly in two capricci, one in each of the outer movements. A capriccio was an extended and technically demanding solo that the composer began writing and then expected the soloist to extend by way of improvisation. This suited the evening’s soloist, who graced the audience with violinistic pyrotechnics along with double and triple stops.
Two concertos by Vivaldi concluded the program. The Concerto for Strings in G Minor, RV 157 featured no soloist, and gave the ensemble a chance to shine on its own. The orchestra rose to the task in the opening movement with its syncopated theme and recurring bass line. It displayed an excellent blend and sense of ensemble. The brief central movement had a gentle theme passed among the instruments and a sound rich with musical suspensions. The vigorous finale served as a convincing contrast and was very well received by the audience. Siranossian returned to the stage for the final work, Vivaldi’s Concerto for Violin, Strings and Basso Continuo in D Major, RV 208. This was a melodious and rollicking work that once again showed off the virtuosity and expressive brilliance of the soloist.
After a rousing standing ovation, the ensemble and soloist performed an encore that much of the audience recognized—the finale to Vivaldi’s “Summer” concerto from The Four Seasons. Even the encore was infused with passion and style, and the crisp tempo ended the concert in exciting fashion.
There are four remaining concerts on the Fiftieth Anniversary Season of the Friends of Chamber Music. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.chambermusic.org
Reviewed February 6, 2026
