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) Flute Concertos arranged for the recorder Concerto in C minor RV 441 Concerto in C major RV 444 Concerto in F major RV 433 La Tempesta di Mare Concerto in C major RV 443 Concerto in F major RV 434 Concerto in G minor RV 439 La Notte Dan Laurin (recorder) Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble Recording 1991, Brilliant Classics CLASSIC COLLECTION 99916 [54.32]
BUY NOW  Crotchet   AmazonUK   AmazonUS

There are precedents for playing these popular concertos on the recorder, which often shared the common name ‘flute’ with the traverso (or what we might now call a baroque flute) for which they were written. Indeed, this soloist and the Drottningholm players probably come closer to a ‘historically informed’ performance than the large string sections and Boehm flutes, usually heard until recently in these concertos. Nevertheless, the ‘cool’, penetrating sound and higher fundamental pitch of the recorder, even when so well-played, as it is on this record, is less responsive to subtle inflections than a traverso, especially in slow movements. Dan Laurin easily establishes his virtuoso credentials in the first (C minor) concerto, but as the performance progresses its shortcomings appear: relentlessly fast tempi that occasionally find the ensemble at odds with the soloist and obscures some of the finer detail in these delightful works. The dominance of the solo line, even in ripieno passages, sacrifices some of Vivaldi’s masterly touches (in for example La Notte) for superficial brilliance. It is, however, difficult not to admire the commitment and sheer ebullience of the players. Their sense of ease and enjoyment in the intricacies of Italian Baroque ornamentation alone makes this disc a desirable extra for anyone who already possesses a more authentic version. Full marks for chutzpah, and the example that Dan Laurin provides of the expressive potential of the recorder. 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.