Viva Vivaldi!

[FideLeo]

I think Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra are the top two US baroque ensembles (Orpheus is really not exclusively baroque) in my book.  I do have a number of recordings by these two ensembles and that is about it ...

The Orpheus does not play on period instruments AFAIK.  PB is not bad at all, but, as you said, no match for the Italians, Germans, Belgians or even the Brits on period strings -- maybe that's why they (still?) depend on imported British music directors (McGegen, Hugget, etc).

[Coopmv]

The Orpheus do not play on period instruments AFAIK.  PB is not bad, but, as you said, no match for the Italians or even the Brits on period strings -- maybe that's why they still depend on imported British music directors (McGegen,  Hugget).

Most English baroque ensembles with some reputation have a level of virtuosity that is unmatched by just about all American baroque ensembles.  Even for ASMIF that performs on modern instruments, it has a level of virtuosity that easily surpasses most American ensembles ...

[FideLeo]

Most English baroque ensembles with some reputation have a level of virtuosity that is unmatched by just about all American baroque ensembles.  Even for ASMIF that performs on modern instruments, it has a level of virtuosity that easily surpasses most American ensembles ...

Moral: do not buy any Vivaldi recording by an American "baroque" ensemble.  

(Has Boston Baroque recorded any Vivaldi, btw?  Haydn and Handel Society?)

[Coopmv]

Moral: do not buy any Vivaldi recording by an American "baroque" ensemble. 

Do not buy ANY baroque recordings by most American baroque ensembles.  But Orpheus and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra do have a few recordings that are quite good IMO ...

[FideLeo]

Do not buy ANY baroque recordings by most American baroque ensembles.  But Orpheus and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra do have a few recordings that are quite good IMO ...

The Orpheus is not a baroque ensemble (in the sense that ASMF isn't one) - they even recorded Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Dvorak and what not.

[Coopmv]

The Orpheus is not a baroque ensemble (in the sense that ASMF isn't one) - they even recorded Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Dvorak and what not.

I am aware of that.  Personally, I do not have very high opinion of the Boston Baroque. 

[FideLeo]

Personally, I do not have very high opinion of the Boston Baroque.  

OK. So I guess you don't know whether they recorded any Vivaldi.  

Update: here's BB's new-ish Four Seasons

[Coopmv]

OK. So I guess you don't know whether they recorded any Vivaldi.  

Update: here's BB's new-ish Four Seasons

It does not matter.  I heard its Brandenburg Concertos played on my local classical FM once and I was not a bit impressed ...

[FideLeo]

It does not matter.  I heard its Brandenburg Concertos played on my local classical FM once and I was not a bit impressed ...

I wasn't even impressed by their Handel Op. 6.  But tastes differ, so I guess BB's Vivaldi will matter to some

[The new erato]

Do not buy ANY baroque recordings by most American baroque ensembles.  But Orpheus and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra do have a few recordings that are quite good IMO ...

That do depend upon whether you consider the cpo releases from the Boston Early Music Festival as being American. But with Stubbs and O'Dette at the wheel, I guess one would consider them European despite (I guess) having mainly American musicians in the ensemble.

[Coopmv]

That do depend upon whether you consider the cpo releases from the Boston Early Music Festival as being American. But with Stubbs and O'Dette at the wheel, I guess one would consider them European despite (I guess) having mainly American musicians in the ensemble.

Hogwood was the conductor of the Boston based Handel & Haydn Society for a few years, wasn't he?

[Bulldog]

Hogwood was the conductor of the Boston based Handel & Haydn Society for a few years, wasn't he?

15 years - 1986 to 2001.  I was suprised to find that the Society has been around since the early 1800's.

[Coopmv]

15 years - 1986 to 2001.  I was suprised to find that the Society has been around since the early 1800's.

I think Hogwood was with both HHS and AAM for a number of years during this period.

[Coopmv]

That do depend upon whether you consider the cpo releases from the Boston Early Music Festival as being American. But with Stubbs and O'Dette at the wheel, I guess one would consider them European despite (I guess) having mainly American musicians in the ensemble.

Like Monica Huggett is now the conductor of the Oregon Baroque ...  Helmut Rilling has been conducting at the Oregon Bach Festival every summer for a number of years.  These European baroque conductors always give the American ensembles they conduct a halo effect.

[Holden]

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.

Staying at a friends place whose classical collection basically consisted of <insert composer>'s greatest hits I put on the Vivaldi and the first track was the Mandolin Cto in C RV425. I was so taken by the piece that I thought I needed to get more of these.

This is the original (which I still don't have)



and this is what I bought which I highly recommend.

Claudio Scimone with I Solisti Veneti


I take  it that you still enjoy the Odette CD.

[Coopmv]

Staying at a friends place whose classical collection basically consisted of <insert composer>'s greatest hits I put on the Vivaldi and the first track was the Mandolin Cto in C RV425. I was so taken by the piece that I thought I needed to get more of these.

This is the original (which I still don't have)



and this is what I bought which I highly recommend.

Claudio Scimone with I Solisti Veneti


I take  it that you still enjoy the Odette CD.

I bought this 18-CD set at a great price from MDT late last year.  I believe every Scimone's Vivaldi CD on Erato is probably included in this set ...

[SonicMan46]

Yes, 'a blast from the past'!    I've own that CD for years - excellent and difficult to top Paul O'Dette!

[Coopmv]

Here's a wonderful 18-LP Vivaldi set I bought back in the mid 80's.  I Musici was one of my favorite baroque ensembles from my LP days.  This remastered Albinoni CD shown below is one of my all-time favorites.  C-SPAN actually used the first movement of one of concertos as the title theme for its program Road to the White House in 1996 ...  

[Sorin Eushayson]

I Solisti Veniti & I Musici ≠ HIP.... 0:)

That's the tricky thing: they look like HIP ensembles, which I'm sure has tricked some in the past.  A quick listen to samples reveals otherwise...

Now Don, you're just 'teasing' us (are you part Irish, like me?  ) - some of us here, including me, enjoy the Red Priest from Venice - but for those who may be interested in the Four Seasons, don't stop w/ just those four works - these are just the opening pieces of a 12- concerto set of Vivaldi's Op. 8 Il Cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione; a recommendation is shown below, a 2-CD set w/ Biondi + Europa Galante; excellent bargain w/ 2 discs in a single-disc sized jewel box - 

One Vivaldi set I enjoy perhaps even more than Op. 8 is L'estro Armonico, Op. 3. 



Also performed by Biondi and his boys (and girls).  A Vivaldian necessity! 

A quick question...

I've been buying up Vivaldi like mad recently.  I cannot for the life of me find a recording of his Op. 7 set of concerti, which is quite frustrating as I have recordings of the other published sets.  Have these truly not been recorded

[Coopmv]

That's the tricky thing: they look like HIP ensembles, which I'm sure has tricked some in the past.  A quick listen to samples reveals otherwise...

One Vivaldi set I enjoy perhaps even more than Op. 8 is L'estro Armonico, Op. 3. 



Also performed by Biondi and his boys (and girls).  A Vivaldian necessity! 

A quick question...

I've been buying up Vivaldi like mad recently.  I cannot for the life of me find a recording of his Op. 7 set of concerti, which is quite frustrating as I have recordings of the other published sets.  Have these truly not been recorded

I have over 100 CD's/LP's worth of Vivaldi's works and I have never bothered to check if there are any recordings for Op. 7 ...