Customer Reviews

4 Seasons

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Unfortunately, the immortal Four Seasons had come to be so overplayed and the melodies so familiar that I could barely stand to hear it. Then I heard this performance, and it was like I had never heard the music before. Orpheus and Gil Shaham infused new life into it. I could not stop listening. I played the CD over and over again--without the least fear of it becoming tedious. I cannot recommend this recording enough--a far cry from the myriad excessively mechanical and lifeless reproductions that nearly killed off this profoundly rich music, inspired more perhaps by the desire for a profit to be derived from the work's popularity than from a true understanding of the spirit behind it. Thank you, Gil Shaham and Orpheus.

Until a week ago I would have said that this is the finest version of The Four Seasons ever recorded. Shaham's approach is much like we used to hear from Jacqueline du Pre. Ferocious, full of intelligence and virtuosity, and with great love for the music. The disc is miked very close to his violin and the slightest growl and touch is clearly visable in this most dramatic of recordings. Now how could I not rate it the greatest recording of this music? Easy, I just bought Guiliano Carmignola's version on original instruments (which I usually don't care for) and it may be as perfect as any recording ever made...in every way. I have to say that If you truly love this music you must own both versions. Life is short, just bite the bullet and own them both. You won't regret it!

Shaham's version of "The Four Seasons" is outstanding! This interpretation is bright and full of life. It is quite moving and breathes life into a piece that is quite overplayed.

There's a little CD ROM video available on this disk as well. I've yet to figure out the point of that. It seems to be only a snippet of some larger project, and serves only as a distraction from what is otherwise a masterpiece.

The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has teamed up with one of the concert world's most gifted solo violinists to give us perhaps the finest recording of Vivaldi's 4 Seasons ever made. The phrasing of every stanza is exquisite from beginning to end, and the emotional interpretation rings through with crystal clarity. The players leave nothing on the table and one is left with the very clear sense that these artists have a passion for their music and leave nothing on the table. The fact that no conductor is involved is no doubt at the heart of the amazing interpretive capacity of Orpheus. This particular performance of the 4 Seasons is a "must have" in any true audiofile's library.

I love this album. I feel that Shaham and Orpheus make a great team on this album. Every instrument is crystal clear and the music never drags. It fits great with every season. When you listen to it, the emotion put into this music is drawn up into you so you can almost feel how cold and icy it is when they play Winter, or how torrential the storm is when they play summer. ANd I don't know if it is still on there, but the copy i got is a 2cd issue. The second cd is interactive, and it has the music video of "winter" that premeired on the weather channel. That is an excellent video. For any lovers of classical music I highly recommend this!!!!

Greetings, this is my review for "Vivaldi: The Four Seasons" by Gil Shaham and Orpheus. When I first got this CD, I listened to it on an Emerson stereo product. It sounded just fine...brilliant and lively, like Vivaldi should sound. Then I looked it up on Amazon to read the reviews...and about died laughing. Oh, boy. Sniffing?...you gotta be kidding. Okay, so I listened to it again, and still didn't notice any sniffing. So then I put it in the disc drive of my computer, plugged in my headphones, and turned it up as loud as I could stand it to be. You would need hearing like the Bionic Man to notice that the guy playing the violin is yes, indeedy breathing through his nose whilest he's playing. I could only hear it in the quietest passages, with the volume turned all the way up. Yes, possibly this was due to the microphone being placed a little too close to the violinist, but it doesn't ruin the recording. It's still very listenable and enjoyable.

While we're on the subject, here's a short list of people you can hear breathing on their recordings...Patsy Cline, bless her, when she inhales between lyrics of a song, she is absolutely right there in the room with you. Rosemary Clooney, in order to faciliate her incredible phrasing and singing talent, also was known to take a noticably deep breath before a loud note or an especially high one. Wayne Newton, in his classic soprano incarnation, often took a sharp whistling breath between lines of his songs, this was due to his childhood asthma but it sure didn't limit his volume or his pitch. Then there's Donovan Leitch who breathes and sighs all over the place...it adds to the atmospheric effect of his vocal style.

I'm sure that poor Gil Shaham didn't sniff on purpose, but it's probably very hard to breathe with one's mouth open while they've got a violin shoved under their chin. Thank you for your consideration in this matter, and direct all comments to brideofcyrano@aol.com

Out of 4 different performances of Vivaldi's 4 Season's, this is simply the best. To many, Gil Shaham is the equivalant to a violin as Jimmi Hendrix is to the guitar. Not only do you get to hear Shaham at his full potential but you also get to see him on the second bonus disc that includes the music video for Winter: The 1st Movement. When I first saw that video, I could not believe my eyes. His fingers moved at lightning fast speed awhile at the same time maintaining a strict control of the bow. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra does more then a fabulous job in maintaining complete harmonial and rythmic synchronization with Shaham. Not only do they achieve 99.9% technical accuracy but they also manage to implement emotion, life and character. An interview with Shaham is documented within the cover booklet and in it it says:

Gil Shaham: "...We were after the spirit of the music. When Vivaldi writes in the score "tremendous thunder," we wanted to make it loud enough to scare the cats under the bed!"

Which is exactly what they did. When it is supposed to be loud, they played it LOUD. When a part of the piece was supposed to play low and subtle they defined low and subtle. When a part of the piece called for passion, they give it passion and then some. I give this five out of five stars, and if you choose to buy another over performance this one... It's really your loss.

As has been noted by many of the reviewers already, there is a huge discography for this work by the most incredible violinists of the past century. Many of these recordings are elegant, exciting, and stunningly played by great soloists and orchestras. However, if I had to choose one I would have no problem choosing this before any. The main reason here is not simply the utterly brilliant playing of Shaham (I am in love with the sound of his violin) but rather the virtuoso performance by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. No other orchestra has traversed the sheer range of nuance and dynamics that this orchestra has demonstrated here. Listen to the gleeming sound of the first movement of Spring and then here the rosin fly on the close of the first movement of winter. Shaham not only demonstrates elegance and nuance, clearly understanding the charming with and character of this music, but he also infuses the music with a visceral passion that breathes new life into this well-worn music. The partnership of these two is really something unique as well as Orpheus matches him in every gesture and phrase. Hearing their string section I get the feeling any one of them could stand up and take Shaham's place at a moment's notice and not miss a beat, cellos included! Great sound and brilliant performances make this the top of the list for me!

Shaham is a highly gifted virtuoso who gives a very fast performance of the concertos. It's nice to hear the concertos in a modern rather than period instrument style that still preserves the chamber ensemble size of the performing forces. Flashy, yes, but very musical, too, and the Kreisler concerto "after Vivaldi" is a real bonus on the CD. This would be a great companion disc to a performance on original instruments or in more period style (like Il Giardino Armonico on Teldec, another absolutely stunning performance)

When I first saw the cover, the name "Gil Shaham" and "Orpheus" instantly caught my attention. Mr. Shaham, although not my favorites (Including Stern and Perlman), has become one of the prominent violinists today and still may be in the years to come. I loved his performance on the Sibelius' Violin Concerto and Bartok's second. I've heard several recordings from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, one of my favorite chamber orchestras, and all sounded lush and beautiful, especially Copland's Appalachian Spring Suite.

The performance on this album was very good, and this can be one of the best performances of Vivaldi's Timeless Masterpiece. As usual, the Orpheus sounded great, and Mr. Shaham too showed his virtuosity - all had dynamics, phrasing, etc. The tempo overall of the pieces are more jaunty and fast in feeling, contrast to the more mellow I Musici (my other favorite chamber orchestra) recordings, but I prefer a more upbeat tempi anyway. My highlights include the first movement from "Spring", the violent third from "Summer", a serene second from "Autunm", and finally the climatic thrid from "Winter"...

Take a listen and you'll probably love it too. One of the best discographies from both music superstars, Gil Shaham and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.