I will third Auaarons' recommendation. "L'estro Armonico" and Nigel Kennedy comes close, but no one matches the sheer exuberance of Fabio Biondi, especially in that 3rd movement of Summer. |
Try the 'Bis'# 275 version--puts all I've ever heard on the back burner.Nils Erick Sparf-- Drot. Home Baroque. |
Let's look at the bigger picture with Vivaldi and Four Seasons which are just the 1st four concertos of Op.8 Trial Between Harmony & Invention. Opus 8 contains 12 concertos total and prices are so cheap you should get a budget 2CD of all 12 concertos.......otherwise you will just get some random filler works stuck on to fill out CD.
All 12 concertos are very good not just 1st four.
Do the same with other main concerto collections:
Opus 3 L'estro Armonico, 12 concertos
Opus 4 La Stravaganza, 12 concertos
Opus 9 La Cetra, 12 concertos
Opus 10 Flute Concertos, 6 total
From here you can branch out to other more specialized instrument concertos:
basson, obe, guitar, lute, cello, mandolin etc.
This composer was very prolific and has very large body of work to explore. |
I second the recommendation by Auaarons. I have 4 versions of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons", and my favorite is the version by Fabio Biondi. |
A Vivaldi fan should never forget about "L'estro Armonico" and "La Cetra". "Four Seasons", I agree, is a great piece, but these two are my regerence. Both are unmistakenly Vivaldi. Enjoy! |
As yet another Vivaldi fan,allow me to recommend any of Vivaldi's concerti for 4 violins. If the "seasons",a series of four innerconnected violin concerti based upon the same thematic material,is an ice cream cone,the concerti for 4 violins is a hot fudge sundae with nuts and whipped cream. |
Please try the version by Fabio Biondi and L'Europa Galante:
http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1076512
The link is enclosed for your reference and does not represent my endorsement for Tower Records.
Biodi presented a more joyous, lively and energetic interpretation of the music compared to the disciplined and reserved approach of Pinnock.
Have you ever heard the FOur Seasons played on the Japanese Koto instrument? The Koto Vivaldi LP remained on Absolute Sound's Harry Pearson's reference disc list for a long time but is out of print. I was fortunate enough to find one on eBay. This interpretation presented "dancing" feel because all the instruments were played by plucking the strings. |
I have six different versions of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons (le quattro stagioni). My favorite is the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Sir Neville Marriner. It's on Decca as part of their Legendary Performances. Sir Neville brings out all the instruments. From the sound of the harpsichord in the opening track to the perfection of Alan Loveday's violin, nothing compares with it! |
I recently purchased "VIVALDI - LA STRAVAGANZA/VIOLIN CONCERTOS/RACHEL PODGER *SACD5.1*" and was listening to it last night. Count me in as a Vivaldi fan. |
That's funny I have 2 different four season's and neither of them sound like that at all!! I guess I will have to try some of your suggestions. Are any of the SACD four season "good" there are so many versions of that particular piece of music its hard to figure out what is what. |
"getting anyone around here to agree on their favorite Four Seasons (Quattro Stagioni) will probably be about as easy as getting them to agree on their favorite speaker.."
Well said, Rel!!
To prove how right Rel is, here's another recommendation: The Musici, on Philips (a box with the whole Cimento de l'Armonia).
To DISprove Rel, I like the Gil Shaham version of the 4seasons, too :) |
Tireguy,
Interesting tread...umm...thread! I'll try not to get all steel-belted on you and ply you with my bias--but you can always ignore what I say and listen to the radial...umm...radio if you prefer.
Nevertheless, Doc-stereo certainly ID'd the selection in question correctly, but getting anyone around here to agree on their favorite Four Seasons (Quattro Stagioni) will probably be about as easy as getting them to agree on their favorite speaker!
Two that I really like are Simon Standage/Trevor Pinnock on Archiv [400 045-2] and Gil Shaham with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on DGG [439 933-2]. The DGG also comes with a bonus CD-ROM that you might find interesting.
While probably not the best place to start, if you're interested in something a little different (some might call it heretical) check out Marion Verbruggen and the Flanders Recorder Quartet on Harmonia Mundi [HMU 907153]. A great performance just brimming with life--and great sonics too!
And if you want to check out some more Vivaldi, I just got a disc on Dorian [DOR-93252] by Musica Pacifica performing La Notte (concerti for diverse instruments). Having just seen them perform, I picked-up this CD in the lobby, and am totally delighted with the performance and the recording. Great stuff!
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Tireguy, Sounds like part of Vivaldi's 4 seasons to me. |
Tireguy,
That would be from The Four Seasons, "Summer", Op. 8, No. 2, 3rd movement.
I really love the RCA Gold Seal LP, I Solisti Veneti group, Scimone conductor.
Curious to see what recordings other people like.
Hope this helps. |
