Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; Fabio Biondi & Europa Galante | Fabio Biondi, Antonio Vivaldi, ... |...

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; Fabio Biondi & Europa Galante | Fabio Biondi, Antonio Vivaldi, ... | Wonderful rendition

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Vivaldi: The Four ...

	Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; Fabio Biondi & Europa Galante Fabio Biondi, Antonio Vivaldi, ... EMI Classics, 2003 average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Is there any way a violinist can make Vivaldi's Four Seasons not sound like elevator music nowadays? Judging by this release, the answer is "yes." Fabio Biondi leads his Europa Galante in crisp performances which do not distort the music either dynamically or rhythmically, and his playing is so clear, clean and clever that you'll hear new things amidst music you thought you, yourself, could play in your sleep. The storm is surprisingly stormy without being exaggerated, for instance, and the dance-like opening to Autumn is positively toe-tapping. The harpsichord which opens "Winter" is bone-chilling and the pizzicato strings in its second movement--taken quickly--are nicely brittle. Biondi emphasizes the lower strings elsewhere so that we experience a texture not often noticed, but obviously present. The CD is filled out with the almost equally famous "La tempersta del mare" concerto and three from "L'estro armonico," all played with the same determination and excellence. A glorious disc. --Robert Levine

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Great

It is just great. I love it. Recommended to everybody who wants to hear the real Vivaldi.

Wonderful rendition

I heard this on Sirrius radio and had to pull over so that I could write down the title. Some of it is over the top, but I have not been this interested in the Four Seasons in a long time!

Must Buy

When I fisrt heard in my car,I got tears in my eyes.(but I can still drove :))very touching...
I bought two copies,one for my mother and one for myself.

Smart. Sexy. Stylish.

Baroque music, as I have said before and will say again, demands authentic instruments to be brought to life. I also think a healthy dose of improvisational ornamentation should be added to the playing. Here you get both, and the latter in a heavy sum.

It's fun and invigorating. The tempos in some of the faster passages, especially the Presto from "Summer," are reminiscent of a performance I heard lead by Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg years ago. People forget that Baroque was originally an insult, meaning that the music was over the top. It eventually became the best way to describe this glorious music.

In true Baroque fashion, this recording is indeed over the top, and not to be missed.

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