Viva Vivaldi!

[Grazioso]

This 4 cd set that DavidW sent my way has been a very nice introduction to some of his violin concertos for me, though one may want to supplement the 4 Seasons with another recording:

I have this one and have always found it solid but run-of-the-mill. Vivaldi really needs playing of a special order, or else his work does tend to fall into the "mediocre and samey" stereotype often applied to his oeuvre.

[Bogey]

I have this one and have always found it solid but run-of-the-mill. Vivaldi really needs playing of a special order, or else his work does tend to fall into the "mediocre and samey" stereotype often applied to his oeuvre.

Actually, I see your point here and agree with your assessment....this set is not overly "memorable" for its passion/fire from the soloists or the ensemble for that matter and does seem to have a "sameness" (which I refer to as consistency throughout....you say potato, I say potato....  ).  However, that is exactly how I enjoy my Vivaldi and maybe that is why the likes of Biondi seem not to work for me as well as someone like Loveday, or in this case Huggett.  In short, run-of-the-mill is probably my cup of tea when it comes to Vivaldi....and it is sometimes difficult to find such recordings as many soloists seem to be trying to make their "unique" mark with his music.

[Que]

(repost from the old forum)

For me this oratorio Juditha triumphans was uncharted Vivaldi territory, and I'm not disappointed. 
A marvelous performance of a beautiful piece of music.
Magdalena Kožená as Juditha is terrific, but the other - all female - singers are excellent too.
The accompaniment by Alessandro de Marchi and the Academia Montis Regalis is very stylish and idiomatic.

The music itself? Wonderful. Again I'm struck by Vivaldi's incredible inventiveness in instrumentation, which creates very special moments in several arias.
This oratorio (with a Latin libretto) is of a musical quality that can easily stand comparison with any of the Händel oratorios that I know. Though the musical style is quite different of course. It has more than just a few memorable arias in it.

Recommended if you're into the genre!

Q

[SonicMan46]

Although I own a couple dozen Vivaldi CDs, this is my first venture into this ongoing edition on Opus111 performed by the L'Astree, a totally HIP group of musicians - these are all 'early' works for strings or winds + continuo (RV numbers all under 100 - quote below explains the RV catalog - this can get as confusing as Telemann!  ).  I particularly loved the Sonata, RV 86 w/ recorder & bassoon - these works are beautifully performed and recorded (and this disc has been cited before in many threads); apparently 10 or so have been published by this group w/ the plan to produce another 50 discs (at least according to the liner notes!) -    P.S. that cover is a little weird, though - a 'bad day' @ the beauty shop? 

Nevertheless, Peter Ryom catalogued Vivaldi's work in the 1960's and 1970's. Today, Ryom's catalog is considered definitive and it is common to see RV (for Ryom Verzeichnis) numbers follow the title of a piece. This is a situation however where confusion arises because Vivaldi's publishers assigned opus numbers. Occasionally, then, you will see an opus number and an RV number.

[Que]

.. these are all 'early' works for strings or winds + continuo (RV numbers all under 100 - quote below explains the RV catalog - this can get as confusing as Telemann!  ).

Dave, as I understand it Vivaldi wrote sonatas from his youth to the 1730's (he died 1741).
The Ryom Verzeichnis(RV) is thematical. This site provides the complete RV listing, including concordance tables with other catalogues of his works. - including opus numbers! 

Q

I like that cover btw - these covers never seem to fail to evoke responses on the forum!
(Very clever PR by Opus 111... )

[Gurn Blanston]

Yes, until you get the hang of the RV's, they don't seem sensible. One need only look at the numbers of the 4 Seasons concerti to begin to get confused...

Anyway, first sort the works by genre (sonata, concerto, &c), then by solo instrument, then by key, and finally, if I have it figured out correctly, by chronology.

So the C major violin concertos all come before the c minor ones, then D major, d minor....... you get the picture. After all the solo concerti are taken care of, then comes the doubles (by combination), triples and so forth. The fact of the matter is that knowing the RV number has actually taken you nowhere at all.   (I did a lot of figuring out in order to arrive at the conclusion that I wasn't getting anywhere!)

[SonicMan46]

Dave, as I understand it Vivaldi wrote sonatas from his youth to the 1730's (he died 1741).
The Ryom Verzeichnis(RV) is thematical. This site provides the complete RV listing, including concordance tables with other catalogues of his works. - including opus numbers! 

Q & Gurn - thanks for the comments & the link - I've been there before, but need to revisit & try to organize 'what' I own already - same place that has that great Telemann listing that we've linked to before - agree that these Baroque composers can be difficult to 'sort out' - they not only wrote so much, but of course date back centuries, so that researching them is more difficult - 

[Gurn Blanston]

Q & Gurn - thanks for the comments & the link - I've been there before, but need to revisit & try to organize 'what' I own already - same place that has that great Telemann listing that we've linked to before - agree that these Baroque composers can be difficult to 'sort out' - they not only wrote so much, but of course date back centuries, so that researching them is more difficult - 

Sonic,
Yes, I don't blame Ryom, he did a fine job with what he did, but to me, the only useful catalog lists are those which give the works in chronological order, as far as can be determined. Like Biamonti's Beethoven, and Köchel (revised). Hoboken's Haydn suffers the same faults as Ryom. After you learn all the ins and outs, unless you have all the supporting docs you haven't still got far!

[Que]

Gave this recording of Vivaldi's Orlando Furioso another spin this morning.
Thought I'd repost my earlier comments.

BTW which Vivaldi operas should be next on my list - any recommedations?




Well, after the oratorio Juditha Triumphans, this is something else...
This is real baroque opera: eleborate plot, a multitude of characters, plenty of recitatives - which fortunately don't tend to outstay their welcome.. And it's a good one: the plot may be complex but it's well constructed and dramatically interesting.
The performance is luxuriously casted: Marie-Nicole Lemieux as Orlando, Jennifer Larmore as Alcina, counter-tenor Philippe Jaroussky as Ruggiero, to name a few. A true emberrassment of riches.
Vivaldi's orchestration is string-orientated in this case. Spinosi's conducting is superb: he really keeps things going - recitatives and all - and enhances the dramatic action. I've read descriptions of his conducting as wild and adventurous  - I like it just fine that way!

So, recommended for lovers of baroque opera.

Q


MusicWeb international
Amazon.com

[Mozart]

A

[Que]

Opus 111 just issued a new opera recording:



Musicweb gave it a very favourable review:
"vintage Vivaldi", and "Indeed this is one of the more successful and pleasing opera recordings from an already celebrated series. The singing is consistently excellent."

Anyone heard it yet?

Q

[Wanderer]

Anyone heard it yet?

Not yet. This issue and Griselda will probably be among my next purchase pile. Comments, please! 

Byzantine history could provide many more intriguing librettos (supposing this has one, the actual story upon which it's based certainly is interesting enough), not to mention Hollywood scripts.

[Que]

I am at home with a bout of flu  , so I have plenty of time on my hands to revive this thread. 

I was meaning to post a recommendation of this recording of Vivaldi "Serenata a tre" - a kind of small scale chamber "opera".

[asin]B0000APHO0[/asin]
A warm recommendation for three reasons:
1) This shows a some different sides of Vivaldi than I was used to. Music which connects to similar repertoire by Alessandro Scarlatti, Caldara, and...Georg Friedrich Händel.
2) These are musically really excellent works - top notch Vivaldi and this must be (near) the top of Italian Baroque songs and duets.
3) The performance is absolutely great - Clemencic excels in small scale repertoire, and good singing too.
And if you want a fourth reason: it's pretty cheap...  
A caveat as well: it includes liner notes and full texts but NO translations...

Q

[FideLeo]

Get well soon! 

Same wish here.  BTW, there is a whole new series of re-releases "HM Gold" from Harmonia mundi.  One issue that has interested me is dedicatd to Vivaldi trio sonatas performed by Chiara Banchini and her Ensemble 415.



However I find the cover art of Apollo playing the viol lyre to have little to do with "folia"....Dionysius probably makes more sense. 

[Harry]

Same wish here.  BTW, there is a whole new series of re-releases "HM Gold" from Harmonia mundi.  One issue that has interested me is dedicatd to Vivaldi trio sonatas performed by Chiara Banchini and her Ensemble 415.



However I find the cover art of Apollo playing the viol lyre to have little to do with "folia"....Dionysius probably makes more sense. 

Many of those are re-releases.....and because of the coverart, and the luxurious booklet even more expensive.
But this one is a real winner.

[FideLeo]

Many of those are re-releases.....and because of the coverart, and the luxurious booklet even more expensive.

£7 (list price) for a luxuriously re-released album doesn't strike me as being "even more expensive"

[FideLeo]

For Vivaldi's Choral Music, Michel Corboz, always Michel Corboz, only Michel Corboz.

Credo in unum Deum....

[Szykneij]

Those of us who get to see the commercials have been greeted lately with this google ad:



currently available on Amazon:



I'm a Joshua Bell fan, so I'll probably get it. But does the world (not to mention my shelf) really need another recording of The Four Seasons?

[Que]

Some Vivaldi fans here are in for a minor shock, I'm afraid...
Thanks Maciek, for pointing this one out.

Opus 111 issues a big opera box set! AND texts are included. I already have 3 out of the 9 in the set, which includes Savall's Farnace recorded for Alia Vox btw. And a bonus-DVD.
"Volume 1"...



CDuniverse          Amazon.fr

Q

[Subotnick]

Back in the day when classical music clubs dealt in vinyl, I got sent this by mistake:



I played track 1 out of curiosity and didn't stop listening until I'd played both sides twice. When I wore the LP out, I purchased the cd.

TTFN.
Me.