RECORDING OF THE MONTH     CHOPIN Waltzes and Impromptus Vladimir Feltsman £11 post free World-wide VIVALDI The four seasons London Mozart Players/Juritz £12 post free World-wide BEETHOVEN Symphonies 4 and 5 LSO/Yondani Butt £12 post free World-wide

	Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741) Concertos for strings Concerto in G minor RV 154 Concerto in B flat major RV 367 Concerto in G minor RV 578 Concerto in D major RV 124 Concerto in G minor RV 302 Concerto in A minor RV 522 Concerto Italiano/Rinaldo Alessandrini, Fabio Biondi (solo violin) [56.10] Chamber concertos Concerto in G minor RV 105 Concerto in A minor RV 86 Concerto in G major RV 101 Concerto in G minor RV 107 Concerto in G minor RV 103 Concerto in F major RV 98 Il Giardino Armonico [50.43] Concertos for diverse instruments Concerto in G major for strings and b.c. Alla Rustica Concerto in G minor for cello strings and b.c. Concerto in D major for traverso, strings and b.c. Il Gardellino Concerto in C major for 2 traversi, strings and b.c. Concerto in G minor for violin, strings and b.c. Concerto in D major for traverso, violin, cello and b.c. Concerto in D major for traverso, violin, cello and b.c. Musica ad Rhenum: Jed Wentz (traverso), Marion Moonen (traverso), Manfred Kraemer (violin), Balázs Mété (cello), Ensemble Florilegium: Ashley Solomon (violin), Rachel Podger (violin), Daniel Yeadon (cello), Neal Peres da Costa (harpsichord) [51.59] Recorded 1988 and 1993 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 92004 [3CDs: 56.10+50.43+51.59]
BUY NOW  Crotchet   AmazonUK   AmazonUS

Vivaldi, himself a violinist, has survived magnificently into the 20th century due mainly to his prolific output of concertos – over 230 for the violin alone, and also for a large number of other instruments, including chalumeaux, clarinets and horns. He was the first composer regularly to use the Ritornello form in which the thematic material is repeated and elaborated between orchestra and soloist(s). This disc provides a generous sample of his stimulating style and melodic gift. Thankfully it does not contain the Four Seasons concertos, now hopefully laid to rest under an enormous pile of CDs. The Concertos for Strings are evidence that, despite their formal similarities, Vivaldi was by no means a ‘formula’ composer. Short, repeated echo phrases and the Ritornello style make them easily identifiable as vintage Vivaldi, but they also contain many colourful twists and turns of phrase that please the ear and hold the listener’s interest. Well played, and they are here, these works are no mere ‘wallpaper music’ and attentive listening brings its rewards. Concerto Italiano and Fabio Biondi have the requisite bravura, though occasionally lack the subtlety needed to make the most of their kaleidoscopic harmonic and melodic colours. Vivaldi’s guiding principle appears to have been ‘if it can be bowed, blown or plucked write concertos for it’. The Chamber Concertos are more gentle and intimate than the Concerti grossi and, except for the A minor (RV 86) – a personal favourite with its entrancing Largo cantabile – are written in a compact three-movement form for small ensembles. They are well worth inclusion since they are probably the least well known works in this collection. Vivaldi wrote around twenty, probably for the salons of his wealthy patrons. The Concertos for Diverse Instruments are innovative and skilfully reflect the expressive characteristics of the various instruments for which they were written. With their lighter scoring, they import a feeling of relaxation to this pleasing set. The flute concertos are particularly enjoyable and include a perennial favourite, Il Gardellino, where the virtuoso chirping of the goldfinch (in Italy named ‘the little cardinal because of its red ‘cap’) offers tempting opportunities for free ornamentation, confidently accepted by the soloist. His clean-limbed performance is ably matched by Marion Moonen in the concerto for two traversi. The set is remastered from recordings made in the late 1980s and early 1990s when accomplished Vivaldi playing was less frequently encountered than it now is. Nevertheless this set merits comparison with the best of today’s performances. I am reliably informed that the absence of an insert booklet in the review copy is not accidental: there simply isn’t one. If so – and in view of the sparse information on the CD case – that is an unfortunate omission. Roy Brewer Advertising Rates Visitor stats MusicWeb International has over 40,000 Classical CD reviews on offer Discs received Having a problem Donating? Gerard Hoffnung Concerts & The Bricklayer Story   New Releases New Releases   MusicWeb sells the Polish catalogue CDAccord £10.50 post free W-W MusicWeb sells the Arcodiva catalogue £12.00 post free W-W £11.75 post-free world- wide MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues: Prices include postage [Acte Préalable £13.50] [Arcodiva £12.00] [Avie from £6.25] [British Music Society £12.00] [CDACCORD from £13.50 ] [ClassicO £12.50] [Hallé from £11] [Heritage £10] [Hortus £14.99 ] [Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ] [Nimbus Special prices] [Northern Flowers £13.50] [REDCLIFFE £11 ] [Sheva £11] [Tactus £11.50 ] [Talent from £12.00 ] [Toccata Classics £10.50 ] Musicweb Special Offers Monthly Best Buys     Google Ads - for information about privacy matters, click here.  Amazon Musicweb International is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Return to Index

Reviews from previous months Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.